Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Facebook Harry Oakes Interviewer; My Exclusive interview with Mr. Harry Oakes from Portland, Oregon.
Over the years I’ve interviewed Presidents of countries, multimillionaires, and yes-even housewives. One of the most interesting interviews I had was in 2004 when I talked with the dog handler from Portland, Oregon who located Ashley Pond buried under cement on Ward Weaver’s property in Oregon City, Oregon in 2002.
I have found that by nature some folks are jealous of other people’s successes. So in turn, they badmouth those who are successful in hopes it will boost their own ego. They forget that some people fight back. One such person is Harry Oakes. He doesn’t get physical though he is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, he fights back with documented facts. I must say, I’ve reviewed his records and they are well documented.
I interviewed Harry while he was getting ready to do a story for a TV show on NBC and we talked in great length about Harry’s success.
Over the years Harry Oakes has had many roles. 12 years as a police officer, 24 years as K9 SAR instructor combined with 10 years as a mountain rescue instructor, and the list goes on and on. He’s been an EMT during 25 of those years, he’s volunteered for 15 years for the American Red Cross. He teaches children and adults how to stay safe in the wilderness, on the city streets, and prepare for disasters such as earthquakes. He’s been a guide with the Mazamas, he’s taught through OMSI, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. He’s been hired by numerous professional firms around the world to lecture on safety.
Harry you have many folks who just don’t like you. Why is that?
Harry; I’ve seen some folks who are simply jealous of our success and over the last 24 years have repeatedly tried to attack my credibility and my team’s success. They have done this by going through the media, TV, radio talk shows, and through the newspapers and giving out ONE SIDED - misinformation.
Fact: Over the last 24 years, each time we’ve performed a search mission, we document, the date, location, our contact information, time involved and our findings. Our reports and files have held up under close review by the;
Oregon Dept. of Justice who did a three-year investigation and found absolutely no criminal wrong doing on my part nor did I ever have to pay any fines. They in fact helped me develop the first for profit K9 SAR Dog team in the nation.
The I.R.S. who audited my records, and found my records were in order and credible.
The FBI who have used our services around the world. You can bet if I wasn’t credible or if my team wasn’t credible we never ever would have been involved in the searches.
Other Government agencies have used us successfully around the world to determine what really happened to a specific missing person missing in on foreign soil.
Interviewer: What other governmental agencies are you talking about?
Harry; In the interests of National security, I’d rather not list them but just say, Govt. agencies and leave it at that.
Several courts though out the nation that have used me to testify as an expert witness and reviewed my credentials before I gave testimony to establish my credibility. I testified as an expert in the field of Search and Rescue, K9 search dog training, training, testing, and working a search dog. Finding lost persons, scent, scent evidence, and working disasters, kidnappings and homicides.
Interviewer: So what do you have to say to those folks in the media and other searchers who have bad mouthed your efforts to help people during their time of need?
Harry; Put up or shut the hell up. I’m sick and tired of their B.S. The Court system accepts my credibility and credentials. That’s what really matters. That and my documented successes.
Interviewer: Why are all these folks angry with you?
Harry; Because I find the missing when they can’t. It makes them look bad. It’s so easy to sit back and armchair quarterback over 7,289 missions. In the last 24 years. When someone attacks me, they attack my search dogs, my other team members, and all of our efforts so I do take this personally.
We have never seen one single person from any one of these SAR or law enforcement agencies, who have bad mouthed our unit, and myself, spend their own money, risk their own lives, to crawl through a collapsed destroyed building in the U.S.A. or in a foreign country, looking for the live and the dead victims of earthquakes, bombings, floods, fires, or other disasters which we've responded to around the world.
We’ve never seen one of these individuals from N.A.S.A.R., Ca. Ore., and Washington SAR Council, who continue to bad mouth our efforts, wading through the hot steamy snake, and crocodile infested jungles, in the Philippines, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti, St Thomas, St Croix, USVI, and Jamaica, looking for missing victims. Yet we’ve been there. And we were successful in our searches there. Again all documented.
We’ve never seen any of these folks in the flood-ravaged lands of Honduras, Haiti, and the Pacific NW looking for drowning victims. Yet we’ve documented our assistance in Armenia, Philippines, Northridge, Turkey, Jamaica, and in over seven thousand other search missions around the world.
Interviewer: Who is we?Harry; At one point I’ve had over 65 team members. One dog one handler makes up a team. Currently I have 40 team members attached to International K9 Search and Rescue Services. We have doctors, senators, lawyers, nurses, paramedics, house wives, house dads, people from all walks of life have joined our teams.
Interviewer: Harry you say in your web site "To date, there has been no factual documented proof of any criminal wrong-doing by you or your team members. Nothing produced to support anyone's statements of any wrong doing by You or your team members, by any law enforcement agency or SAR group. Have you ever been arrested and charged for any criminal action of any kind?
Harry; Nothing what so ever. I’ve received one speeding ticket 25 years ago and two parking tickets. That’s it.
In fact, we have hundred’s of letters from Law enforcement, government agencies, including three from former Presidents of the USA and one from former President Aquino of the Philippines expressing their gratitude to our abilities in helping others in their time of need.
Interviewer: Harry you have heard the verbal and written attacks against you personally. Many Sheriff’s in the state of Oregon and Washington have made comments such as "Harry’s a controversial figure in Oregon in regards to SAR work". Why are you so controversial?
Harry; my attorney and myself have asked the various Sheriff’s and SAR Groups to produce one single document showing factual information regarding their statements to back up their statements. In over 34 years of looking for missing people and 24 years working with the search dogs, while we’ve been providing service to the Sheriff’s departments and to the private public sector, we have yet to see a single piece of written documentation to support any of their statements. Nothing at all.
We can produce hundreds of letters and reports in support of everything we’ve said and done. When we ask the sheriff’s and other K-9 teams involved to contact our references that support what we’ve done, they never have. Instead they would rather just continue to verbally sit back on their hindquarters and verbally attack us, to try to make them look better and less incompetent.
This after we repeatedly enter the search privately on behalf of the victim(s) families and find the missing victim(s) in the original search areas where the sheriff's teams failed to find the missing person(s). This destroys the sheriff's and Volunteer K-9's credibility, not ours. Again it’s all documented.
Interviewer: So do you think this an ego issue?
Harry; Yes. HONESTLY. Every time I've been investigated regarding my search and rescue services and my successes, it's been found that I've been 100% truthful. I've even taken and passed a polygraph on this matter. (See the 1998 D.O.J. Audit and I.R.S. Audit reports). The IRS, DOJ, FBI, NSA, and CIA have checked us out. We continue to be proven credible beyond reproach.
Interviewer; You say you are "Courtroom Proven". Which courts?
The courtrooms in Clark and Multnomah County have in the past openly accepted our training, testing, certification process and our documentation. We've obtained several search warrants based on our abilities and results and also given expert testimony in the courts of law regarding scent, scent evidence, search dogs, and search and rescue. Again I’ll say, "If it’s good enough for the courts, it ought to be good enough to the local law enforcement".
TESTING. My documented searches and success qualifies me as an expert in the courtroom regarding scent, scent evidence, search dogs, search dog training, testing and certification. We are one of 200 search and rescue K-9 teams that is a self-testing dog team. We’re not doing anything different, then the other 200 search dog teams in the USA and Canada. (See the 1997 national survey). Yet we don’t see the other K-9 teams testing and standards under attack by the OSSA. (Oregon State Sheriff’s Association). Why is that?
Interview; I’m asking you then, Harry why is this?
Harry; It's because we get results when the OSSA teams have failed repeatedly. This makes them look bad. See copies of the Dela Carlson, Ashley Pond, and Miranda Gaddis search reports for examples. "Dateline special "Into Thin Air" segment regarding Ward Weaver and Ashley Pond murder case in Oregon City, Oregon.
We feel it’s because the O.S.S.A., (Oregon State Sheriff’s Association) wants everyone to believe their tester is honest, reliable, and credible.
If that’s the case then, why is it documented that we’ve gone in after the O.S.S.A. has called off their official search, after they have used their O.S.S.A. State Certified SAR Dog teams, and they’ve found nothing, yet we found the victim(s) in their original search areas? Dela Carlson, Brian Harris, Eli Kelt, Ashley Pond, Scott Spangle Jr. who are just some of the dead victims listed that we found their remains when the O.S.S.A. teams couldn’t in the original search areas.
One embarrassing example is the 2002 Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis search in Oregon City, where the O.S.S.A. teams and even their state tester with his dog Marty Neiman, and the FBI teams repeatedly went onto the suspect’s property (Ward Weaver) and searched several suspicious areas. They repeatedly reported that their teams had found nothing, even after drilling holes and pumping warm air under a concrete slab the O.S.S.A. teams stated publicly to the media, Portland Tribune and the Oregonian Newspaper, "There's nothing under the slab".
In March 2002, I with my SAR Dog Valorie, entered the search on behalf of Lori, Ashley’s mother. I donated my time and efforts for the search for Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis. I documented finding Ashley's buried remains under the concrete slab and Miranda Gaddis in Wards lay down freezer in Ward Weaver’s kitchen March 30, 2002.
I immediately forwarded my reports to the FBI, OCPD, and to the victim’s families. This verified by MSNBC Dateline TV Producer Shane Bishop and Keith Morrison Interviewer for NBC.
In Aug. 2002, the FBI finally dug up Ashley's remains under public pressure and, right where my SAR dog Valorie indicated, they found Ashley remains. Between March 2002 and Aug 2002, Ward Weaver moved Miranda’s remains to a shed. The police did verify that the murdered victim’s remains had been in the freezer where SAR Dog Valorie had shown me where they were at the time of their search in March 2002.
If this doesn't prove my SAR Dogs credibility beyond reproach, what does? SAR Dog Val indicated and I reported there was a body under the concrete slab. The FBI dug up said body 5 months later right were we located it during our private search.
We’ve repeatedly documented entering the search after the O.S.S.A. has called their efforts off and we’ve repeatedly either found the victim, or found out what had happened to the victim, in the original search areas. Now whose credibility is really on the line here the O.S.S.A. K-9 teams, or ours? We’ve found every person we’ve looked for or have determined what really happened to them and the suspect(s) involved in their disappearance. (This verified by our reports and the local police reports).
With the POND / Gaddis case, I demanded the O.S.S.A. remove their Ore. state certification process, reevaluate it, and accept N.A.S.A.R. (National Association for Search and Rescue) SAR Dog standards which I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Teams along with 200 other National teams use as a guideline. As of this writing, the O.S.S.A. Standards are no longer credible and the O.S.S.A. Certification process is under revision. We were informed that their state tester has been removed from his role thanks to my team’s efforts.
Interviewer: Harry some search folks have accused you of showing up on a search uninvited?
Harry; Again I’ve asked these folks who have made these statements to come forward with DOCUMENTED PROOF of what they are saying. In 36 years of looking for missing persons and 24 years with the K9 units, no one has been able to provide one single piece of paper to back up their statements. I’ve never done that and never will. It’s unprofessional.
Interviewer; You’ve been attacked by the local paper. What that all about?
Harry; BAD PR, THE LOCAL MEDIA IS GUILTY ALSO. The local media has a responsibility to show both sides of each issue. Yet they have failed miserably in doing this. Every time a statement is made against I.K.9.S.A.R.S. or myself personally. They print it or discuss it on the TV, on the radio, or in the newspaper. Yet when I and others have brought forth documented proof to dispute their statements made against me or my team members, the media has failed to provide their readers and viewers with both sides of the issues.
Interviewer; Can you give me an example of what you are talking about?
Example: We’ve responded to Turkey, Honduras, Jamaica, St. Croix USVI., and the Dominican Republic. There are no stories done by the local media on any of those missions. Yet whenever the other K-9 teams do a search, the media is all over their actions in a positive action. Look at the coverage NW Medical teams got for responding to the same sites where we’ve responded. Is this fair?
The Portland Tribune and Gresham Outlook finally became frustrated with the local law enforcement and SAR team’s lack of results on the Ward Weaver case. When I proved to the FBI and OCPD and to the media that my search dog teams were right all along on the POND / GADDIS search, these newspapers came forward and wrote the facts about the case to expose the attempted cover up by unethical dog handlers from the State of Oregon.
The law enforcement teams continue to tell the media, "Oh the bodies were moved" and "weren't there when the O.S.S.A. teams searched Wards property". Now you tell me how do you move a body buried in a barrel under four feet of rocks, dirt and concrete?
Even Wards son admitted his father Ward had killed both girls and buried Ashley right where my SAR Dog Valorie and I located her remains under the concrete.
Here’s an example of the one sided reporting done by the Daily News in Longview, Wa.
Pat, the one-sided idiot reporter, only covers the Sheriff’s statements and Marty’s statements. But if you look at the documented facts, it shows that I told the truth the whole time. So where’s the fairness here? Let’s examine their statements and my responses.
Then you make an informed decision.
Checkered past follows search and rescue worker to Longview
By Pat Forgey
Mar 24, 2005 - 07:46:00 am PST
"It was the stuff of a hero story: Harry E. Oakes and his search dog, Valorie, finding Honduran flooding victims following Hurricane Mitch in 1998.The Longview dog handler and his canine partner were among the search teams featured Sunday on "Storm Stories," the Weather Channel top-rated show.In the show, firefighters in Honduras praised teams such as Oakes and Valorie for their rescue work and for taking their dogs to a local orphanage to cheer up traumatized children.Despite the favorable portrayal, and Oakes' recent move to the local area, Oakes is persona non grata in local search and rescue circles. Officials say they're wary of Oakes' checkered financial past and his claimed record of success."
(HERE THE REPORTER SUGGESTS WRONG DOING REGARDING "FINANCIAL PAST and CLAIMED RECORD OF SUCCESS" Yet when I’ve been audited by the IRS and DOJ, my records were acceptable to these investigating agencies. So if I passed their scrutiny, then where’s the problem here? "He is no longer eligible to do search and rescue in Cowlitz County, like in a number of other areas," said Art Jordan, volunteer coordinator for Cowlitz County Search and Rescue and member of the state's Emergency Management Council.
What Art failed to state in this article was that I have been personally hired by Cowlitz County SAR to teach their SAR team’s rope rescue on several occasions and have been involved in numerous searches with their agency before I went private.
Art failed to note that I was removed from the Washington SAR resource list after I filed a written complaint to the Governor’s office, against the Skamania County SAR Coordinator, for his actions where he repeatedly used poor judgment, that we can prove cost several innocent people their lives. Now why didn’t Art want that information to come out?"Oakes, 49, acknowledges that county sheriffs who head up search and rescue operations often don't like him, but that's because his work is so good."Sheriffs often get upset when we come in and find people they can't," he said in an interview last week.Oakes claims to have found the bodies of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis, two Oregon City girls murdered by neighbor Ward Weaver in 2002, but others dispute that."Nobody used him in Oregon City, because he's not reliable," said Marty Neiman, with Search One K-9 Detection, an Oregon nonprofit called in by authorities investigating the case."
This statement coming from the very same man who told the FBI and OCPD there wasn’t a body under the concrete slab. Marty Neiman the state of Oregon’s certification tester? This from the very same person who has over the years repeatedly gone on talk shows and bad-mouthed Harry every chance he gets to make himself look better. Shame on you Marty. You make yourself look bad by not finding the victims in the original search area in the first place."Neiman said Oakes showed up on the scene and volunteered his services but was not used in the official search. In a later, unofficial search, Oakes' search results were so general as to be useless, Neiman said."
Marty states my "search results were to general". My report states my search dog gave a death alert where the concrete slab meets the ground right behind Ward Weaver’s house. How more precise can I get?
In the end, I was 100% correct in reading my dog’s alerts. Marty was 100% wrong. Whose credibility is really under attack here? Not mine. I’ve repeatedly found victims in the original search areas where Marty and his teams told the sheriff’ there was no victim to be found. Now why can our teams go in and find the victim dead when Marty and his teams can’t?
"Oakes runs International K-9 Search and Rescue Services, a for-profit organization, a rarity in search and rescue circles. In fact, Oakes describes his company as "the only for-profit K-9 search and rescue in the nation."He typically charges $200 an hour for staging and searching, as well as $25 an hour for travel time, according to his website. He said much of his work is searching for pets, which Oakes said can be more profitable than searching for people."People won't hesitate paying for a dogs or cat," he said. "People generally won't pay you to search for their missing child."Cowlitz County Coroner Mike Nichols, a former Search and Rescue coordinator for the county, said volunteer search and rescue crews don't agree with the concept of for-profit search and rescue services."Other than Harry Oakes, I don't know of anybody else who hires out to distraught families and promises to find their kin," Nichols said."
Why doesn’t Mike tell the reporter how much he gets paid for looking for missing persons with the Sheriff’s office? Why is that so different? Why does the National park system and the state of Oregon along with several other states possess the laws that allow them to CHARGE for search and rescue services?"Nichols said Cowlitz County's search and rescue volunteers will look for anyone who is missing and don't ask for payment. Volunteers tend to spend a lot of their own money on equipment, training and transportation. "We only work as volunteers here," he said."
Again, what Nichols is forgetting to tell everyone is that, he’s paid, so why is that different? I’ve been through the Law Enforcement academies, taught SAR for Polk, Morrow, Clark and Skamania Counties. Is Nichols afraid of the competition?"Nichols and Jordan said Oakes' reputation in Oregon preceded him when he came to Washington from Portland a year ago."He wasn't welcome within search camps within his own state," Nichols said.
What Nichols and Jordon forget to say, is;
1). Polk and Clackamas Counties in Oregon. Clark and Skamania Counties in Washington, along with the National Park Services, used my search dog teams on a regular basis from 1986 to 1994.
2). "I wasn’t welcome within search camps within his own state of Oregon" only after I testified against the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association on House Bill 3093, where I testified on the mismanagement of SAR in Oregon that have cost lives. I was told by Lt Neil James that," if I testified against the OSSA at the HB hearing, I would never be used by the O.S.S.A. again".
I testified and told the truth. The Oregon State Police, The Oregon Mountain Rescue Council, the Oregon Fire Fighters Association all supported me in my efforts on HB 3093. Trying to update SAR laws in the state of Oregon which hadn’t been updated since 1974. Because of my testimony, the O.S.S.A. refuses to use my services because I made them look bad in the OREGON SENATE.In Oregon, Oakes formerly was with Mountain Wilderness Search Dogs and Help Us Find You, Inc., which both were registered as nonprofit organizations. In the late 1990s, both came under investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice, which claimed that Oakes was using the nonprofits as a tax dodge."
If that’s true then why have I been audited by the IRS and came out clean, and have tax records to prove it? We have tax records to show this is an untrue statement."He uses M.W.S.D. and H.U.F.Y. to avoid paying taxes by virtue of their tax-exempt status," the department said in a 1997 court settlement with Oakes".
There was no criminal or civil charges thus no court settlement, so where does he get his information? This is all public record.
"At the time, the agency said, Oakes did not have a personal bank account and used the nonprofits' accounts as his own, paying his personal and living expenses out of them".
That’s not true. It was my business account under my name that showed all payments in and out for M.W.S.D.. Why don’t they discuss how my records proved that I paid for all of the non profit phone bills, electrical bills, office supplies, postage, and every cent brought in and spent out was accounted for? They won’t say this because it destroys THEIR Credibility.
"The department signed an order with Oakes forbidding him to represent himself as a charity of any kind or representing his professional locating services as a public service."
The department also helped me start my for profit business, at their suggestion.
"Oakes said he was cleared by the investigation. We came out squeaky clean," he said. "There was no criminal action brought against us."The department did require Oakes to pay $7,500, but suspended the fine on the condition he not violate the order. Oakes said the fine was never imposed.
The DOJ records prove that I was telling the truth.More inquiriesAn Oregon Justice Department concern involved Oakes' search for bodies at the site of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.The agency said Mountain Wilderness received a $4,000 donation from a canine club in Oklahoma. Oakes immediately was reimbursed for $3,000 in "expenses" he claimed but failed to document, according to the justice department.
This isn’t true at all. What I did was totally legal per M.W.S.D. non profit bylaws. The reimbursement was for money M.W.S.D. owed me for the past year. For the bills I paid out of my own account. Again all money coming in and leaving M.W.S.D. was accounted for with receipts. Every single penny was accounted for. Ask the DOJ. They can validate my statements. They did the audit and said ,"my record keeping was remarkable".
"Oakes later started International K-9 Search and Rescue Services, his current for-profit company. The 1997 agreement between Oakes and state of Oregon bars him from charging anyone for services if he has volunteered in the search for the same victim.Oakes, who answers his phone "search and rescue," said he is careful to make it clear to potential clients that he is not with a government agency."
That’s correct because we’re a professional agency that provides experience professional services.
"The Weather Channel program made no mention of Oakes' for-profit status, but it did note that he and a fellow dog handler had to pay their own way to Honduras. Contributions were not sought on the program."
Gee, they finally told some truth in this report. We’ve paid for our own transportation in the Northridge, Honduras, Philippine, Turkey earthquakes along with the Oklahoma City Bombing disaster.
"Weather Channel spokeswoman Kathy Lane said Oakes' business dealings were unrelated to its program. "That would have nothing to do with the story we portrayed," she said. Lane said Towers Productions Inc. of Chicago produces Storm Stories under contract. Towers officials were unavailable for comment.In addition to questions about Oakes' financial dealings, search and rescue officials have doubts about the quality of Oakes' search work, said Cowlitz County Sheriff's Deputy Chuck Dunnavant, the county's search and rescue coordinator."He'll point to a spot on the river and say 'He drowned right there,' and there's no way to prove it," Dunnavant said."
Why doesn’t Chuck ad that his own dive team verified our search dogs findings in front of the victim’s families? At the time of our search, where the divers were told the victims had drowned in 80 feet of swift current water, the divers found the victims boat and other gear. This after they failed to find anything before our arrival. Oops, if Chuck told that truth, it may discount his statement.
"While with Mountain Wilderness, Oakes participated in high-profile search for two Longview men, Larry Mansur and Dennis Svoboda, who were missing and presumed dead after a boating accident on the Columbia River off Cowlitz County in 1996.During the hunt, Oakes told officials that Valorie had found the spot where they died, Nichols said. Months later, one of the bodies was found upriver from that spot, leading local search and rescue personnel to doubt the validity of Oakes "find.""I've never heard of a body going upstream," Nichols said."
Mr. Nichols isn’t a very educated man in regards to water, water currents, and bodies. Otherwise he never would have made such a stupid statement. Bodies have repeatedly been documented moving down stream and upstream with tidal current influences, as well as heavy ship traffic, that can trap a victim and carry them for miles under their drag loads.
Some bodies have been discovered up to 20 miles away from the site where they drowned due to ship traffic.
THE OSSA tester and tests aren’t credible. We allowed the O.S.S.A. Tester to test us on the O.S.S.A. K-9 standards. This after the tester openly bragged on the "LARS LARSON RADIO TALK SHOW" that, "he would see that Harry would never pass his tests". This statement was documented and is on file with MOBA MEDIA.
When I took the O.S.S.A. K-9 test, this individual not only failed me and my search dog Valorie at the test, but when I asked this individual (Marty Neiman) to show me where the scent tubes were hidden on the first cadaver search, the tester failed to find a single one himself. Yet he was the tester who hid the items and bragged "Harry would never pass any of his tests". When the scent tubes were finally located and opened in front of witnesses, we discovered the scent tubes were empty and didn’t contain any scent at all. The witnesses and myself inspected each tube in front of Marty. Pam Milleran being one of those witnesses. She also verified the scent tubes were empty. (This proved Marty tried to set my search dog Valorie and I up for a failure test). Now how honest is this?
When Valorie and I retook the state cadaver test, Valorie hit on numerous decomposing sites. When the tester brought out the "SCENT TUBE" I examined the scent tube for the smell of "pseudo scent", there was no scent detected.
I’ve been testing with pseudo scent for the last 24 years and is qualified to determine if it was used or wasn’t used properly. What’s wrong with this test? Let’s talk about a credibility problem here. The tester is the same person who over the last 16 years had bad-mouthed me and my teams for the documented successful work I’ve done locally and internationally.
Lars Larson's radio talk show still maintains, "Harry's search teams can't find a body in a graveyard". Even after I’ve proved I was 100% accurate on the Ashley Pond Case. So where's the truth in the media there? This statement came from the very same State Cert. tester who told OCPD and the FBI (Marty Neiman) that there was, "no body under the concrete slab". Leading the detectives on a false trail and costing the FBI and OCPD to continue their effortless search at the cost of over $175,000 dollars.
If I.K.9.S.A.R.S. sar dog teams had been brought into the search back in Jan. 2002 when Ashley Pond first disappeared, I felt we would have located Ashley's remains like we did, identified the killer(s), and Miranda Gaddis would still be alive today. The FBI and OCPD would have been able to do their jobs effectively saving a human life, saving another woman from being raped, and saving tax payers $175,000 dollars in the search efforts. We actually documented finding 3 bodies. We turned over one of the body parts to Oregon City Police Dept. on a third body we located. This verified by OCPD files and reports. This again after they (The FBI, Oregon City PD, Search One K-9 Detection and the other search teams had already searched the area and found nothing).
My search dog and I DESTROYED THE CREDIBILITY OF THE O.S.S.A. K-9 TESTER.
If a person was to believe in the O.S.S.A. test as a true honest test of a dog team, then that meant that my search dog Valorie and I weren’t qualified to fly overseas to Turkey in Aug. and Nov. of 1999, and search for victims buried in the earthquakes.
Yet, it’s been proven through documentation and proof provided by photos, witness statements, and actual recoveries, info provided to the Turkish and US Government officials, that in both of the 1999 Turkey earthquakes, that SAR Dog Valorie and I documented finding 71 buried dead and 14 live buried victims. Just by SAR Dog Valorie and I making one single find of a live or dead person, this totally destroys the OSSA K-9 testing credibility completely.
COURT ROOM PROVEN. My documentation and credibility regarding expert witness testimony in criminal cases, was established and has held up, in the Clark County Courtroom Washington State Vs Beeson. And other criminal court cases where I’ve been called to testify. The state of Oregon Medical Examiner signed a presumptive death certificate on Dela Carlson based on my search dog Ranger’s findings of Dela’s remains, reports and test results. (This after local search teams OSSA, and Search One K-9 detection teams and failed to find any trace of her).
Fact: We’ve won numerous state, county, and national awards for our work in search and rescue.
Fact: My teams and I have found most people dead and some still alive in the ORIGINAL SEARCH AREAS, when the local OSSA K-9 and SAR teams failed to find them. Tim Bunner, Jay Burroughs, Eddy Zawaski, Joey Lefler, Butch Huston, Nathen Montz, Eli Kelt, Abe Ellis, Brian Harris, Dela Carlson, just to name a few victims. Many more on file.
Fact: We’re the only search dog team in the world to win the prestige’s Higgens and Langley Swift Water Rescue Award, and the National Jefferson award. We’ve received Two letters from President George Bush Sr. and one from President Bill Clinton for our outstanding work. We've also received letters from the President of the Philippines and Honduras for our rescue efforts in their countries.
Fact: We have the skills to find the missing. We have proven and qualified ourselves numerous times over the last 7,250 missions. We are the most successful search dog team in the world in regards to finding both missing people and pets.
Fact: We're the only dog team in the world, ever to be invited in to Jamaica to work alongside the Miami office of the FBI, and local police reference the Claudia Kirshock case
Interviewer: I’ve heard the comment that you are preying on victims in their time of need".
Harry; Other comments we’ve heard is, " We’re preying on vulnerable people during their time of need". My response is this. Any agency, public or private, which provides professional qualified services to a family in need, isn't "preying on them in their time of need". If that is a true, then other professional like us like police officers, paramedics, doctors, nurses, medical examiners, lawyers, and ministers, are all preying on these poor people also. So why are their actions any different? They all either volunteer their time or getting paid to provide a service to people in need just like we do. We’re no different.
Fact: Each client is given a business contract. They’re required to read and sign the contract before we start on a search. This contract explains in detail what we can and cannot provide, and our chances of success in the search efforts. They also are instructed to retain a copy of the contract. It also explains what the client will or won’t be required to pay for the search effort.
FACT: We are a licensed business in the state of Washington to perform our search and rescue services around the world.
FACT: We have documented donating an average of over $47,000 dollars a year in SAR Services to our community regarding missing persons and pets for the last 24 years.
Our References:
Charlie Ringo (My Attorney) Bend, Oregon. cringo@teleport.com Charlie was with me during the 1998 Oregon D.O.J. AUDIT, and can provide documented information to show that:
1). We cooperated with the audit.
2). That I have always told the truth in my business dealings and documentation
Of search reports.
3). There were no criminal or civil actions brought against Mr. Oakes when the
Audit report was completed.
Retired Polk County Deputy Sheriff Bill Sealy. (503) 623-9123 Polk Co. SAR. (Known Harry for over 10 years). He can testify to Harry's team’s successes.
Kris DeSylvia (503) 231-1600. Email: kris@wtpdx.comKris performed an independent investigation on the Oklahoma City Bombing Disaster Response by Mountain Wilderness Search Dogs. She can provide first hand knowledge that Mr. Oakes was honest in his response and what really occurred there.
Michelle Keating (Dog Handler) Email:michellerae52@comcast.net (360) 256-4822. One of I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Employees. She's been present with Harry on numerous search missions in the USA and in Honduras. Michelle can verify Harry’s passing of all I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Documented K-9 tests. Michelle can attest to their success in Honduras and on numerous other search missions.
Susan Royce (K-9 Search & Rescue Coordinator in Alaska). Email: svroyce@hotmail.com She can verify Harry's teaching abilities and the politics in SAR work.
Marla Petal. Email: mpetal@imagins.com Witness to Harry and Val's numerous finds in Turkey in the first earthquake response.
Riley and Tana Wooten (Group Leader through the Fire Dept. Current instructor for the Police Academy) Email: rileywooten@hotmail.com Witnessed Harry and Michelle's work in Honduras with their search dogs. Lives in Missouri. (573) 774-4020.
Mary Kuhn. (Client). Mary can testify to Harry's credibility and work and the total incompetents of the Clark County Sheriff's office and the Portland FBI, after her daughter was kidnapped and transported to MEXICO. Harry assisted in finding the four kidnapped kids and returning them safely to their families. .
Janice Saukko (503) 458-6137 It was her mother's remains that we found in the original search area in Clatsop Co. when OSSA State Cert. SAR Dog teams failed to find her remains and called off their search.
Fact: We have thousands and I mean THOUSANDS of satisfied customers around the world.Why hasn’t the media interviewed any of them to get their side of the story and show that we are honest and brought closure to their cases when no one else would or could?
Interviewer; I’ve reviewed your record keeping, your photos, your awards, letters, and must say, I’m very impressed. Why do you do this job when everyone appears to hate you for doing it?
Harry; I grew up in the Military. I was involved in the Cub scouts, Boy Scouts, and Explorer Programs. I worked in the Military when I became of age to serve our nation and then got out of the Army to work as a police officer. I find the work rewarding. I still believe in GOD, APPLE PIE, and the American Way. I believe in Truth, Justice, and above all, I have to answer to God when all is said and done. And I’m damn proud of my achievements. I’ve saved countless lives around the world and in the end, I can say I have made a difference. I’ve spent my own money, donated countless hours to serve mankind.
Interviewer: We’ll on that note I’m going to end the interview. I want to thank you for your time and on behalf of the people you have provided service to, I want to say "THANK YOU for a job well done"
Harry; Thank you
DOCUMENTATION:
Our Human Missions.
10 dead human finds documented in the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing Disaster. Findings on file with OCFD and OCPD.
* 14 dead animal finds and 4 live animal finds documented after the 1995 Skeleton Fires in Bend, Oregon. Findings on file with BPD.
* 29 dead human finds documented by the Fire Dept in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch struck 1998. Findings on file with the Government of Honduras and the American Conciliate. (Harry and Valorie won a Humanitarian award for their work in Honduras from the President of Honduras).
* 71 documented dead human and 14 live human finds documented by the American Embassy and Turkish Government in searches performed in both of the 1999 Turkey Earthquakes by Harry and SAR Dog Valorie.
* Oregon Department of Justice 1997 Audit of Mr. Oakes files show that his record keeping is accurate.
* Miami Office of the FBI established Mr. Oakes' credibility before using his search dog services in Jamaica on the Claudia Kirschoch case where SAR Dog Valorie did establish a valid track after 45 days and did locate scent evidence and positively identifying a murder suspect and his vehicle. SAR Dog Valorie is the first search dog ever to be allowed into Jamaica for a search mission.
* Clark Co. Vancouver, Washington District Attorney's office established Mr. Oakes as an expert witness in a court of law regarding scent, scent evidence and training, testing, and working search dogs on crime scenes. (State of Washington, Clark County VS. K. Beeson Case. (Kidnapping Charges).
* Copies of Search Warrants issued in Arkansas, Tennessee, Oregon, Washington, Ohio, and Jamaica, based on Harry's search dogs and scent evidence available upon request.
Valorie flew over 650 times in cabin, without incident. *Valorie's SAR Dog record for searches in Canada on file with RCMP.
Portland Office of the FBI established Mr. Oakes and Valorie's credibility Aug. 2002 when Harry and Valorie were the only search dog team to locate the buried remains of Ashley Pond thus also leading law enforcement to the covered body of Miranda Gaddis and a third skeleton human remains nearby yet to be identified.
12-02. Harry with SAR Dog Valorie flew to the Dominican Republic to assist the US Embassy and family of Sean Stover in locating Sean's remains. Sean was thought to have been kidnapped. It took SAR Dog Valorie 5 minutes of searching to determine that Sean drowned in the ocean at the Bay of Eagles near the Haitian Border.
Harry E. Oakes Jr. (SAR Dog Handler / SAR Coordinator). Hm (360) 414-8093
Mobile (503) 705-0258. Harry was involved in Law Enforcement in 1972 and became involved in SAR. In 1986, Harry became involved in Mountain Rescue and K-9 SAR. Since 1986.
Mr. Oakes has documented # 7,289 call out missions, with 3,418 documented finds & assisted finds, of people, pets, suspect identifications, and evidence. Documentation of credibility in local court systems, search missions, and awards, on file for review at our office. This is a world record in # of search missions performed and successful finds in the history of search and rescue (SAR).
Harry has trained over 6,500 dogs and handlers all over the world for SAR. He's won many awards for life saving and community service to include the Higgens and Langley Swift Water Rescue Award, the National Jefferson Award, The International K-9 Services Life Saving Award, and three letters from the President of The United States of America.
Harry a former police officer of 12 years, Emergency Medical Tech of 26 years, and employed full time as the coordinator for K-9 SAR Services, is currently on call 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to respond anywhere in the world to locate missing people or pets.
Harry also developed the Help Us Find You Child Safety Program, which has been taught to over 5,600 schools, churches, camps and other children's safety events. Through radio, TV, and school presentations, Harry's H.U.F.Y. program has documented 16 lives saved to date. This program teaches children and their parents, what to do if they get lost in the wilderness, how to be prepared, stay in one place, stay warm, dry and alive, signal for help, when it's OK to talk to strangers, and finding safe help. This program won the KPTV "For Kids Sake Award".
Also, Harry teaches city survival stranger danger programs, saying NO to drugs, gangs, cigarette smoking and drugs. Disaster preparedness. What to do before, during, and after a disaster. Harry specializes in finding missing children who are lost, missing, runaways, kidnap and murdered victims. Harry never gets paid during disasters. He pays for his own airfare, takes time off work, pays for his own shots, and the specialized equipment used on scene.
SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. SAR Dog Valorie was a 14-1/2 year old, Border Collie, Schipperke, and Mutt Mix. Valorie was saved from the dog pound at age 5 months and trained for SAR. (Search and Rescue) by her handler Harry. Valorie is Harry's 3rd search dog personally. Valorie Oakes, is an internationally certified search and rescue service dog through I.K.9.S.A.R.S.
SAR Dog Valorie has documented 5,800 call out Missions with 1,502 documented finds & assisted finds of people, pets, suspect identifications, and evidence. This is a World Record. Photographs of both Harry and Valorie can be reviewed in People Magazine Nov. 30, 98 issue page# 61. Valorie documented 10 dead human finds in the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing Disaster.
"Valorie's Valor". A book telling Valorie's story about being saved from the dog pound, trained for search and rescue and locating victims in the Oklahoma City Bombing Disaster. Author, Joanne Cook-Cramberg (918) 622-3932. 2433 South 108th East Ave. Tulsa, Ok. 74129. Cost $10.00 dollars. SAR Dog Valorie died in Harry’s arms Jan. 09-09. She is truly missed.
After Hurricane Mitch struck Honduras in 1998, Harry used his own money, took time off work and flew himself and his search dog Valorie down to Tegucigalpa, Honduras and donated his search efforts. SAR Dog Valorie found 29 dead human remains buried in the ruins in 5 days. In both of the 1999 Turkey Earthquakes, Valorie found 71 dead and 14 alive humans. SAR Dog Valorie was the only dog with her handler Harry invited back by the Turkish Government to help teach K-9 SAR after the first earthquake to their search and rescue teams.
SAR Dog Valorie is the first search dog ever to be allowed into Jamaica for a search mission. Valorie is the only search dog to locate the buried remains of Ashley Pond in March 2002. Her remains were found wrapped in plastic, stuffed into a barrel, buried under dirt, gravel and concrete. This documented by the Police and Media Aug. 2002.
Harry just returned from St. Croix USVI where he started the first all African American K-9 Search dog Team and the only search dog teams in the US Virgin Islands.
SAR Dog Willow is a 3-1/2 year old border collie. She was rescued from Seattle Border Collie rescue and started training with SAR Dog Valorie and handler – instructor Mr. Harry Oakes, March of 2007. SAR Dog Willow has documented 1,756 searches, finding 428 victims.
SAR Dog Tyler is a 9-month-old border collie. He was rescued from Seattle Border Collie rescue and started training with SAR Dog Willow in 2009. SAR Dog Tyler has documented 336 search and rescue cases with 85 documented finds.
I’ve ran a successful non-profit from 1986 to 1997.
From 1997 to Current date, I’ve been managing a successful for-profit professional K-9 SAR teams.
I was the only search dog handler in the world invited back to Turkey after working the earthquake in 1999 to teach USAR K9 search and rescue.
I was the only K9 handler in the world to be invited to teach K9 search and rescue and start a search rescue team in St Croix USVI.
Our documentation will stand up in any courtroom. That’s all that really matters. Not the political B.S. nor the one sided attacks by jealous dog handlers, sheriff’s officials, and ill-informed media writers.
Respectfully,
Mr. Harry E. Oakes Jr. K-9-1.
International K-9 Search and Rescue Handler
Instructor. BPST#9863.
Harry a former Law Enforcement officer of 12 years, an EMT of 26 years, combined with SAR work since 1972, brings forth an expertise second to no one.
International K-9 Search and Rescue Services is a professional K-9 Search and Rescue Team based out of Longview, Wa. We are the most successful search dog team in the USA. Not one agency has come forward with any documentation to disprove this statement.
We do charge for our services. $25.00 per hour travel time (each way). $200.00 per hour search time. All travel expenses. Our services stand up in all of the court systems as expert testimony.
Here is a list of some of the human and missing pet finds of Harry E. Oakes Jr.
TRAINING.
1972-1974 Started in SAR (search and rescue) with Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department Explorer Post#900 attached to #631 for SAR.
1974-1977. Search unit US Army Military Police. Helicopter Rescue Support.
1979-1980 Morrow County Sheriff’s Dept. SAR Coordinator.
1984-1986 Mazama’s safety climbing instructor, crevasse rescue.
1986-1992 Portland Mountain Rescue. Team leader, co instructor.
1986-1988 Oregon DOGS. Dogs Organized for Ground Search and Rescue.
SAR Dog Handler.
1988-1997 Mountain Wilderness Search Dogs. Coordinator, dog handler, instructor.
1997-Current International K-9 Search and Rescue Services. Coordinator, dog handler, instructor and SAR Dog Findings.
05-16-0 86 86-001 Clack. Co. Mt. Hood Climbing Accident-OES school incident. Team leader PMR-Team#23 Day#2 and T#2 Day #3. Assisted in locating and recovering two dead adults, 7 dead children. Molly, Giles, Karen and Leader Ralph Summers survived
87-001 Clack. Co. Evidence Search-Kidnap-Homicide. Lake Oswego PD ref:
Homicide. SAR Dog Kodi-Dirt Burial-Located evidence for LOPD.
08-24-87 87-003 Skamania Co. Mt. St. Helens, Washington Lost Climber.PMR/ MWSD-Team. Missing person Deahdore Baskar-SAR Kodi located him weak but OK on Monitor Ridge coming down. Lightly dressed.Windbreaker and light clothing.
87-004 Wheeler Co.Fossil Ore. Escapee from Court House. "Anderson". Team:H.Oakes SAR Kodi.Results:Tracked all night long to where deputies and OSP located suspect in a camp ground where we tracked. GOOD JOB -KODI.
09-25-87 87-005 Skamania Co. Mt. St. Helens,Washington 3 missing climbers. two adult male one juvenile female. Bad weather.Monitor ridge. Kodi and I located them alive and cold one thousand feet up the trail from base camp.
03-30-88 88-008 Mult.Co. Research Oxbow Park for Fred Trinkle's remains Team: H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: Ranger Keeps alerting in river downstream 100yrds from pls. Requested dive team to come recover victim.
06-01-88 8-010 Mult.Co. Oxbow Park Drowning-Thong Diah-Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: Located victim in water. Downstream 40 yrds.
06-21-88 88-011 Kidnap Homicide-Doreen Ratterman-Delrey Beach,Oregon. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger.Results: Located evidence-Bag of sperm/urine from suspect.
06-01-89 88-015 Clack.Co. Lake Oswego Golf Course. Altz. Pt. missing in hot weather x 5 days.William Griffee. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Ranger tracked victim to where he was located in a briar patch DOA from heart attack.
09-22-88 88-016 Skamania County.Stevenson,Washington Drowning.Victim "J.Weeks" Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog "Ranger" and SAR Dog Rommel. SR#14 MP55. Located victim in 94Feet deep water in Columbia River.
10-17-88 88-018 Clackamas County, Ripplebrook Ranger District. Lost Deer Hunter C.Walker. Teams:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger and Judy with SAR Dog Rommell. Results: Victim left business cards that ID him and what path he was taking. Both Ranger and Rommell ID path and led to his being found.
11-06-88 88-023 Skamania Co. Sioxon Creek Mitchel Peak, Washington. Mitchel Sowa Search. Lost Elk Hunter. Team: H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: Ranger tracked and airscented into area where we put hasty team in and located victim with fx leg. Hypothermic. GOOD JOB Ranger. The SAR deputy stated, "We would not have searched this area if it wasn't for Rangers alerting into it. It was to far out of the search area.
12-07-88 88-025 Armenia Earthquake USSR. Four of MWSD teams geared up and placed on S/B. We were able to coordinate the sending of two SAR teams from another agency. We also sent $3,000 dollars worth of medical gear we gathered through donations in with NW Medical teams. I coordinated the K-9 mission.
01-28-89 89-003 Clack.Co. Mount Hood White River Canyon. During Training Excersise. We (PMR) located an injured boy in White River Canyon. Fx-C Spine.Took 3 raising systems to bring him out.
04-06-89 89-005 Polk Co. "Jay Burroughs"-Homicide-Pee Dee, Ore. Victim missing 45 days. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Deb Yates SAR dog Buddy, Bill Gawloski SAR Dog Lady. Results: MWSD teams located victim’s buried in dirt and debris pile. Also located vital evidence in crime scene to show where victim was killed (SHOT) how he was transported to burial site, where evidence was in an abandoned house to show who shot victim and when and where.
06-18-89 89-007 Columbia Co. Drowning-Sauvies Island. Victim "Weslie Desell' R/C from Lt. C.Co.SO. req. teams. Upon responding-all teams canceled as "Sheriff didn't want MWSD teams there." Family called us in privately. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. We responded and within 15 minutes located victim 20 yrds out 40 feet deep in the water. I called the sheriff to come get the victim and he refused. Oregon State Police notified and did recovery. Sheriff mad because his dive team didn’t find the victim and we did. Victim’s father present when the body was recovered on the beach the next day and when we made the find.
06-20-89 89-008 Clack. Co. Salmon River Canyon area. Welches, Ore. Missing hiker Glen Crum" missing x 4 days. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Craig Odegaard SAR Dog Smokey. We hiked to assigned area to clear. While enroute to area. Ranger and Smokey alerted over cliff. 304th AFRS was flying overhead at the time and we asked them to inspect the area. They located the victim DOA from fall and hypothermia. Same area where dogs alerted over cliff. Good job Ranger and Smokey.
07-07-89 89-010 Clack.Co. Squaw Mtn. Joey Lefler lost 3 year old with 3 dogs. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Sheriff was going to call of search due to lack of clues. On Sat. Ranger and I and ST located boys footprints put our own containment team in the area and located the boy alive the next day.
08-12-89 89-014 Clack. Co. Mt. Hood S. Side Missing Climber. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: 304th Located victim in white river canyon during search.
09-04-89 89-016 Clark Co. Vanc. Wash. David Douglas Park Missing 2 boys. William and Cole Neer. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. MWSD and SSSAR. Teams found the two boys dead. Murdered and molested & Stabbed to death. Ranger tracked suspect from victim’s body, one mile into Vancouver to Andresen St. Vanc. PD with us on track. (Suspect) parked his car here and then left the scene after the crime. (Suspect later id as Westly Allen Dodd).
10-19-89 89-023 Skamania Co. Dog Creek, Carson, Washington High Angle Rope Rescue. Hiker and baby stranded on cliff. Team: H. Oakes, MWSD teams, and SSSAR teams. RESULTS. I climbed up to victim and we rappelled off cliff together. Rick Blevins belayed and did a GREAT JOB. Together, we saved her and her unborn child.
10-23-89 89-024 Polk Co. Fall City, Ore. Lost Searcher (Volunteer Fireman). Team: MWSD-H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. ST Ben Lill. Results: Ranger picked up victim’s trail and located direction of travel. I put Searcher Ben Lill up ahead as a containment and we located the victim the next morning alive. Hypothermic. Good Job Ranger and everyone.
10-26-89 89-025 Washington Co. Missing 17y/o boy. Washington Co. SO searched area with police and detectives and ESAR. Nothing Found. Family called us in. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. During interview of father, he was very nervous and giving me alibis when (It wasn't needed during the interview). Cleared assigned search area 95%. Victim found in our search area in Creek in 3" deep of water, three weeks later. Same area that Wash. Co. SO and MWSD teams searched. Victim was not there in the creek during our search. Victim’s body was placed in the creek after the search. Detectives referred to this case.
11-01-89 89-027 Vanc. Lake-Clark Co. Vanc. Wash. Lee Isle's body found by pheasant hunter dead and molested. Same as in Cole Neer and William Neers case. Evidence Search. Ranger located physical evidence. (Victim of Westly Allen Dodd). Later executed for the 3 murders.
11-05-89 89-028 Clark Co. Yacolt, Washington Missing Deer Hunter. Tim Bunner-Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger and MWSD Teams. Results: Ranger tracked victim into canyon (after bloodhound team couldn't locate victim). Ranger located victim alive and very wet and cold next to creek.
89-031 Wahkiakum Co. Wash. Missing Bow hunter Butch Huston. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger ,Scott Rich SAR Dog Otis. Ben Lill. Results: We located victim DOA Frozen against a log. Died from Hypothermia. He had all the survival gear but didn't use it in time. Ranger alerted over ridge third day of search. Gave 12-49 alert. I informed Scott to go down there with Otis and locate victim as we were too exhausted and needed some rest. Scott with SAR Otis, found victim right over ridge where Ranger alerted.
06-16-90 90-007 Ohio, Shadeyville floods. H. Oakes coordinated with Fire Dept. on who to bring in and how to use them effectively for locating bodies. I coordinated some of the search dog teams.
07-07-90 90-012 Chemult, Ore. Private Search for missing 9 year old Nathen Madsen, on a pony lost Oct. of 89. Sheriff of Klamath Co. REFUSED 9 offers from MWSD teams during initial major search. MWSD Teams went in and within 48 Hours we were able to pinpoint the air scent alerts where MWSD teams located remains in coyote feces and Bill G. and SAR Dog Lady assisted in bringing in more teams who located saddle and more remains.
All teams given credit for finding Nathan Madsen. The family refused to give us credit even though Oregon State Police documented our teams findings. SAD Ending to an innocent child because a sheriff in Klamath Co. had his head up his ass. The sheriff’s office searched for 9 months and couldn’t find anything. We searched for 16 hours and One of our search dog handlers Bill Gawloski with search dog Lady found the victim in the original search area. I coordinated private k-9 sar ops.
07-18-90 90-013 Philippine Earthquake Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. We flew as part of the Seattle King Co. Disaster team. We located 25 sites where 59 dead victims were recovered. Per Lt. From SOG Special Forces Task Force. Also assisted in grief therapy and first aid of injured. I coordinated Sar ops. and worked the disaster with SAR Dog Ranger.
09-09-90 90-015 Polk Co. Missing 11 year old child with a gun. Nathan Montez Search. Suicide. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger and Bill G.SAR Dog Lady. Results: We located victim DOA self inflicted gun shot wound to head. I coordinated SAR ops. and assisted in crime scene investigation and grief therapy for family. SAD ending.
09-28-90 90-019 Mt Adams Surprise Lake Sk. Co. So. missing mushroom picker George Takahasi. Team: H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger K-9-1. Tracked from PLS 5 miles NE across lava field. Set up road containment and they located him with us right on his trail. Sheriff Dept Coordinator stated that it was "Ranger’s track that directed containment teams to locate this missing person".
10-17-89 90-023 Sk. Co. Homicide case "Green River Case"Rd#10. Team: H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: located victims clothing and cosmetics. Evidence find.
10-29-90 90-025 Polk Co. Injured / lost mushroom picker. Sue Smith. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: Victim located upon our arrival down 1500Foot canyon. She suffered a fall over a 40 foot cliff into a creek. Fx Leg. Hypothermic. It took us 9 raising systems to bring her out.
11-10-90 90-033 Lost Inj. Hunter. Polk Co. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger Results: Tracked to where we found hunter tired but ok. Drunk.
11-14-90 90-35 Lincoln Co. Missing Mushroom Picker Jody Cox. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: We tracked victim to where we located his bucket of mushrooms and his rain jacket. On Road where all scent and sign indicates he was picked up by a car. Sub. investigation showed that two subjects involved with DOPE with this person took him out of the search area and killed him. His body was found three years later out of the search area.
11-17-90 90-036 Sk. Co. Luin Biddix Missing teenager hunter. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Craig Odegaard and SAR Dog Smokey. Results: Subj. Located alive by other MWSD Sar team. I coordinated K-9 teams. We found him alive.
03-19-91 91-008 Mult. Co. Missing hikers (Mazamas) Pat Lidrich and Kathy Spencer. Mult. Co. Refused our services and canceled their own efforts after two days of searching. We responded privately and picked up victims trail. 304th located victims 5 days into their search in snow alive and hypothermic 9 miles away. Mult. Co. was very embarrassed on this one as they should have been. Very poor management of their SAR Effort. Good job "Ranger" and 304th.
05-22-91 91-015 Douglas Co. SO. Missing child Tommy Gibson. Kidnap/Homicide. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: Douglas Co. Deputy claims his son was kidnapped in the country down a private rd where two big dogs were sitting in front of with a marked police car parked in front of house and four people home sitting in front of picture window.
Oregon State Police served search warrant on Larry’s house. Larry suspected of killing Tommy and fabricating story. Everything I found showed me that Larry did kill Tommy in the kitchen while Tommy was eating, Larry then laid Tommy’s remains. Larry then put Tommy in the back of his patrol car and left the scene. Tommy’s remains have never been found yet. Larry later convicted of Tommy’s homicide. Ranger located Tommy's shirt where Larry buried it outside house under corrugated tin roofing.
05-29-91 91-016 Sitka, Ak. Coordinated missing coastguardsman -Coordinated SAR efforts. Subject located at girlfriends AWOL.
09-04-90 91-027 Mult. Co. Private Call Missing 13y.o male Peter Rudge. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Results: Located evidence that showed Diane Waldon was kidnap suspect and investigated matter. Diane arrested back east at hotel. Portland Police very upset that their detectives missed what we found.
11-26-91 91-150-045 Clark. Co. Missing 9 yo child Hannah Narvel. Team: H.Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Girl missing x 4 hours. rural area near Battleground, Wash. Ranger tracked from PLS to laundry room where she was sleeping under numerous amounts of clothes inside a sleeping bag curled up.
12-01-91 91-151-046 Sitka,Ak. S/B to fly teams up for missing hunter. Coord. search by Fax and telephone. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger. Victim located DOA from fall over cliff. Teams canceled.
12-02-91 91-152-047 Hood River Co. Missing Hunter Corey Faye Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger and MWSD teams. Results: We were called in privately after SO refused to use all available resources. During the search-our teams located death site and a suspect. This after local search teams from the sheriff’s dept failed to find any clues. Suspect failed 5 polygraphs regarding Corey’s death. Remains later located out of the search area by persons who knew main suspect in this case.
12-21-91 91-157-052. Mt. Hood White River Canyon. Inj. Skier. On scene found inj. xc skier and rescued him. Ranger found him alive and injured in canyon.
01-04-92 92-159-001 Mult. Co. PPB Evidence search ref: Homicide. Rocky Butte. Portland, Ore. Found evidence for PPB. Team; H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger.
04-23-92 92-168-010 Mult. Co. Rock Rescue- Team: H. Oakes . While up training in rock climbing/ rock rescue, I heard a cry for help. I responded to a drunk person in cowboy boots 30 feet up on the cliff face. I then set up a lowering system and performed a single person rescue. Victim lowered to the ground and given a stern lecture.
06-12-92 92-174-016 Vanc. BC Canada Call. Missing 16y/o suicide Michael Hammond. Missing x 6 months. Team: H. Oakes, B. Oakes Ranger and Jim Burgett with SAR Dog Brandy. Results: We tracked Hammond’s scent trail to where he died in the ocean. Tswwassen. BC.
07-27-92 92-182-024 Polk Co. Jason Miller -Suicide. Team: H. Oakes Ranger. Results: Ranger located subject’s pack and area which led searchers to the victim. Ranger stung by 7 bees from hornets nest. Also located two marijuana Grow operations. Polk Co. SO removed same.
10-29-92 92-193-035 Sk. Co. Byron Shurleff -Missing Mushroom picker. Mt. Adams. Team: H. Oakes/Ranger. Results: Ranger tracked victim to where we located him alive.
10-29-92 92-194-036 Missing child in Brush Prarie area. Clark Co. Anthony Cochran I got search organized using ICS System. Very unorganized at first. Large effort. Subj. located the next day by 304th. Ranger led the 304th to this area.
11-15-92 92-200-042 Polk CO. Missing Deer Hunter Lukiamoot Area. Team: H. Oakes Ranger Results: We found him alive and cold.
11-16-92 92-201-043 Polk Co. RD#18. Buckman Howard-Missing Deer hunter. Team H. Oakes Ranger. Results: MWSD located this victim cold and wet.
1-29-92 92-206-048 Clack. Co. Mt. Hood, Ore. Ski Accident Mike Lilly White River Canyon Rescue. We were training working avalanche patrol that day, when Ranger located the injured skier laying in the snow weak from Hypothermia. Ranger layed next to the victim to assist in rewarming. Pt had a dislocated patella. BUCK RAT assisted MWSD in extrication. Good Job Ranger.
12-09-92 92-186-028(E). Clark Co. Body Recovery-Columbia Tie Rd. Amboy, Wash. Homicide. Shot in head and buried. Team: MWSD H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger and Ken Bowlsby with SAR Dog Bear recovered victims remains with Clark Co. Detectives.
12-16-92 92-205-047(C). Coleman Search Lost Hunter Team: H. Oakes Ranger. Jim Burgett with SAR dog Brandy. Results: Victim located in water where Ranger and Brandy andother SAR Dogs alerted.
01-09-93 93-209-001 Clack. Co. Mt. Hood Ore. White River Canyon Inj. X-C skier Mike Levine Team MWSD. Rescue inj skier.
03-07-93 93-211-003 Clatsop Co. Water Rescue Seaside, Ore. South Shore beach. (On Scene) Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Ranger and Brandon Oakes. Results: While walking on the beach we witnessed 5 children get pulled out to sea by a sneaker wave tide undertow. One girl made it out on her own. Two parents jumped in and saved their children and that left two children still heading out to sea, drowning. Brandon acted as a spotter while Ranger and I went to help. I swam out to the boy and pulled him out of the water and Ranger swam 30 yards out to the little girl and she hung on to his tail while he pulled her in. Fire Dept. and Police notified of incident by family. Great Save Ranger. Brandon acted as spotter. Did great job. We later won the NASAR’s Higgen’s and Langley Swift Water award for our rescue efforts.
04-18-93 93-218-010 Clark Co. Washugal, Wash. Columbia River. " Mark R. Smith" Bad weather Team: H. Oakes Ranger and MWSD teams located victim in water. Recovered
06-22-93 93-226-018 Missing Hiker-Hoskins-West Side of Mt. Angelas. Olympic National Forest. Missing x 13 days. Ranger & I flew into sight by helo. We found him in less then 20 minutes on scene. West Side. He had fallen 350' over a cliff to his death. We assisted in the body recovery with park rangers and MT. Rescue. We found his remains after local search dog teams and Mtn. rescue teams searched the same area for 14 days.
07-29-93 93-228-020 Clark. Co. Suicide. Columbia River. Team: H. Oakes Ranger Located victim dead in water. Souri Yavang.
11-22-93 93-252-044 Body Recovery SAR DOG Joshua Parks.K-9-3. Joshua was murdered today by a Hit and Run driver. Grief Therapy. Transported remains to Ore. Humane Society.
12-17-93 93-258-050 Polk Co. Angela Bush, Missing 17y/o girl with 7 year old mentality. We were told this would be a cadaver search. Missing X(3) days in very cold weather. Girl with her cocker spaniel. Dallas, Ore. Our teams FOUND HER AND HER DOG BARELY alive.:} Body core temp 92 and heading down. Girl unconscious. Dog cuddled inside her jacket saved her life. MERRY CHRISTMAS. This after search teams and police searched for her for 3 days and nights and found nothing. We found her alive in 30 minutes.
01-03-94 94-263-001 Mult. Co. Missing female runaway. Kristen Stearns. Team: H. Oakes / Ranger. We tracked her down alive.
01-17-94 94-267-005(A). Mutual Aid Cleared assigned areas by Orange Co. SAR. Found pets dead in Apts that were burned out. Also assisted in Grief therapy. Team: H .Oakes/Ranger J.Burgett/ Brandy.
01-28-94 94-269-009 Clatsop Co. Private Missing person search Dela Carlson 77y/o altz pt. Phase#(1). Cleared area of highest POA. Picked up her track found her footprints and toilet paper every time she changed to another road. We located all this evidence and her remains after Clatsop Co. and Search one K-9 detection searched entire area for three days and told family she wasn't out there. We just made fools out of them again.
03-13-94 94-282-020 Mult. Co. lost dog. Private pet search. "Keech" Lost dog in 95 degree heat for 5 days. R.P. Mult. Co. E. Wilson 4537 SE Knapp Rd Portland, Ore. Ranger, Brandon and I with the family of Keech, tracked him 5 miles through the city streets right up to the door of the house where we located him alive. Team: H. Oakes/Ranger-Brandon-Allison. Keech had been taken from the PLS to the site where we located him by CAR. Ranger did a veh. track.
04-24-94 94-269-009 "G" Private Dela Carlson Search. While inspecting the death scene. Ranger located Dela's Jaw bone and teeth under a tree. This is after Clatsop Co. SO stated to Janice, Leroy and Oscar that, "We recovered everything after an extensive search of the scene.". Witnesses to the remainder of the body part recovery was Janice, Leroy and Kris Desylvia.
05-27-94 94-315-53(A-B-C) Private Missing Person Bryan Meier Age 23 found DOA in Willamette River.
07-26-94 94-338-075 Missing Person "Dan-O-Johnson Pack 657 BSA Camp Discovery Missing Child. Ranger tracked him to canyon creek where he was hiding.
08-03-94 94-341-078 D. Pat Reudinick Columbia River drowning. WPD. We located his remains in the water with the search dogs.
08-17-94 94-335-027 (D-O). C. Hall Pine Bluff, Arkansas Homicide. Flew and worked homicide located suspect and ID same through scent evidence on his boots and his vehicle. Good job Ranger. (Got a search warrant based on Ranger’s and my credibility).
09-27-28-94 94-359-096 Homicide x 2 . Carlson case Clark Co. Battle Ground Wash. Ranger and Shadow located where victims were killed and id suspect and how he transported victims out of the area. This after detectives went through home and didn’t find anything. Good Job Ranger and Shadow. (Got a search warrant based on Ranger’s and my credibility).
10-26-94 94-371-108 Mtn Rescue (2) Searchers Mt St Helens, Wash. Call came in for help from SSSAR. Responded and assisted in rewarming victims. Medical response.
11-03/04-94 94-378-115 Lost Mushroom picker Bun My Loeng Sk. Co. request for assist. Canceled upon arrival due to weather. Skamania Co. Director of EMS screwed this one up really bad. His ignorance along with the victims cost the victim his life. I wrote a letter to Gov. Locke. He didn’t do anything about it. I lost my ability to respond to SAR in Sk. Co. Washington because I came forward and reported the incident.
12-02-94 94-391-128 Body Recovery Class 5 water Wind River Sk. Co. asked to be there to supervise recovery with SSSAR. Drowning. Kayaker caught in a strainer of logs. Victim died from Hypothermia. "Dave" victim. Sk. Co. S.O. on scene and refused to allow local assistance to rescue the victim while he was struggling to stay alive. It’s their fault he died.
12-11-94 94-385-122(C) Clark Co. Brian Harris. MWSD teams located victim in search area after Search one K-9 Detection, Clark Co. SO, and SAR, SSSAR, NCEMS, and bloodhound teams failed to locate victim. We found him DOA in search area in less then 15 minutes. Supervised body recovery. We found searchers flagging ribbon 10 feet from victim’s head.
03-16-95 95-439-035 Clark Co. Missing Person "Linda Obrien NE 57th Vanc. Wash. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Tracked from house to bus stop where tracked stopped behind Vanc. mall. Blood hound confirmed Val's track. Subject later (4) days, called family from Colorado stating she was ok and confirmed that was the route she took. Good job Valorie.
95-458-054 Oklahoma City Bombing-Disaster Response Federal Building Bombing Murrah Bldg Bombing. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Valorie alerted on four areas. Fire dept told me later they found 4 dead kids & 6 adult body parts. The book Valorie’s Valor came out of this tragedy.
*04-23-95 95-467-063 Drowning Sitka, Ak. Assist in coordinating find and recovery Lisianskie Peninsulla, Sitka, Ak coord. Drowning of Randy Helem. After dogs and my map assit, they found subject in 220 feet ocean deep water.
05-20-95 95-426-022 Polk Co. Water Search Independance, Ore." John Pope" Search (F) With K-9-20 assist. Loc. Sub. in 29 feet water down stream from first searches and out 20 feet from other side East side of embankment.
95-501-97 07-15-95 Clackamas Co. Wilsonville, Oregon-Private Search-Lost Dog. "Shadow" 4 year old sheltie neut. male. R.P. Robert and Sandra Steigleder, Wilson St. Wilsonville,Ore. Missing from home since 07-14-95. Results: SAR Dog "Valorie" and I met with the family at Les Schwabb Tires store in Wilsonville, Ore. PLS. Witnessed who worked there reported seeing the dog running in the area on 07-14-95. I introduced "Valorie" to the missing dogs collar and valorie then tracked north. We went around the west side of Les Schwab Tire store then across a field and a fence onto the freeway.I-5.We then tracked along the freeway Northbound approx.1/4 mile then Valorie tracked east into some heavy brush along a fence line. SAR Dog Valorie alerted very hard and when I looked into the brush I saw the missing dog alive but very very scared. It took the young man from the family who followed along with me almost three minutes to approach the scared dog and get a hold of it. We then returned to the parking lot of Les Schwab Tires met with the remaining portion of the family and I then inspected the dog. It appeared dehydrated and scared but OK. I then suggested to the family that they have the dog inspected by a vet. Clinic
95-513-109 07-31-95 Polk Co. S O, Falls City, Ore. Kidnap (1) Sexual Abuse(1) case Camp Killowan Lower Greenwood Cabin. Victim: Stephanie M. Pileggi E. Santiam St. Stayton, Ore. age: 10. 07-21-95 between 0430Hrs. and 0500Hrs. suspect entered victims cabin through front door of cabin while she was asleep and kidnapped her at knife point. He then took her down the trail and molested her. She reported the actions to Polk Co. SO. They did their investigation and grid searched the area for evidence. We were then called in on 07-31-95 and searched the area. See report for findings.
95-541-137 09-02-95 Clark Co. Washington. Clark Co. Sheriffs Dept. Request Possible Kidnap homicide case. DEM#95-1217 Martha, Michael and Crystal Beeson missing from 22303 NE 72 Ave. Vanc. Wash. R.P. Sgt. Warren (360) 253-2047. Teams: See unit list.
Coordinator for MWSD H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie. Results: Searched Victims house. Door broken in from front door. Blood found small amounts throughout the house. Valorie and Tracker gave strong STRESS alerts inside living room and bathroom. MWSD did area search of property and found no bodies. (NOTE). DA’s office established my expertise on scent, scent evidence, training SAR Dogs, made me an expert witness. As soon as I completed my testimony in the courtroom, the suspect stood up. Stopped the trial, and plead guilty stating our search dogs were 100% accurate in their track of the victim(s) and suspect.
95-558-153 10-06/07-95 Clack. Co. Private search for missing Mt. Climber on Mt. Hood. Ken Budlong. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results. Rode chair lifts to top of palmer and then climbed to NW ridge of Illumination rock. Picked up death alerts at base of Ill. rock and minor alerts at saddle top. Winds from west at 35 gusting. ICY. Wrote report and faxed to Hood River Co. S O. Alerts coming from Reid Glacier and Yocum Ridge area. 7800 to 8200 foot levels. Body is in crevasse on Reid Glacier. Observed fall line, slide. We filed a report and nothing was ever done about it. Body still there.
10-14-95 95-569-164 Drowning Clark Co. Camas Washington. 14year old, (Billie Talent) drowned 10-13-95 while fishing with a friend. Responded teams. H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1 located victim along with other SAR Dog teams down stream from PLS in Class 3 water. This verified by Clark Co. Dive Teams.
10-16-95 95-569-164(C). Grief Therapy Camas Middle School. Ref: Billy Talent body recovery.
96-668-024(C) 01-25-96 Cowlitz Co. Drowning X (2). Dennis Svoboda and Larry Mansur. Two missing fisherman. Missing X 4 days. Searched their favorite fishing holes. Very cold outside. Snowing in hills. Winds from West 0-5 MPH. Air temp..35f. Water 42F. One found by Valorie in 40 feet of water and one found in 60 feet of water. Grief therapy 1 hour with family after debriefing. We located victims whereabouts after sheriff’s dept and dive team failed to. Dive team later verified they found the boat where our dogs alerted. Bodies later recovered. One upstream and one downstream. Bodies were moved by boat traffic and currents. (Tidal ).
96-676-032(A). 02-11-96 Marion Co. Hwy 99E Drowning X(3) OSP request. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie and SSSAR(x)2. Victims. Gonon, Satey and Santiago Alblino HMA's. Drowned when their vehicle went off road into flooded onion field. Made 12 passes. Valorie located both on second pass. 100 feet down stream from PLS. OSP Advised. All 3 bodies recovered.
05-05-96 96-727-083(B). Marion Co. Searched Willamette River near Mission St. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Found human in water DOA. Police advised.
05-12-96 96-730-086(D). Clatsop Co. Searched for David Wahl at alleged last pls. Teams: Harry Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: See report and diagrams. Numerous death alerts. We made phone call and found body. It had washed up in Gray’s Harbor, Wa. They sent notice to Clatsop Co. Clatsop Co. didn’t do anything. Med. Exam. Buried body as a john doe. We had David’s remains exhumed and reautopsied. Proved it was murder, turned case over to OSP who obtained conviction of David’s girlfriend. This after police and Search One k-9 detection failed to find anything. The victim’s family took all the credit for our work.
05-30-96 96-730-087(I). David Wahl Mission. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. RESULTS: David was found two weeks after he disappeared by Aberdeen, Wash. PD. Naked and Headless. ID through Fingerprinted. Listed as John Doe until yesterday when Positive ID was made through prints. Already buried
05-28-96 96-750-106(A). Clack. Co. Drowning Clackamas River High Rocks Area Gladstone, Ore. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Initial Interview and grief therapy started.
05-29-96 96-750-106(B). Clack. Co. Drowning search. Team: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Located body in 20 feet of water moving at surface at 4 feet per second.
08-07-96 96-805-161(A).Clarksville City PD Nix, Diana Homicide Evidence Search-Searched victims vehicle and located death alert at drivers seat foot pedals and carpet areas.
08-08-96 96-788-144(F) worked Beard Case. Found death and stress alerts in suspect vehicles at crime lab.
08-08-96 96-805-160(B). Diana Nix Homicide. Searched house with detectives from Clarksville City PD. Search Warrant for shoes.
08-09-96 96-799-155(B). Viola Morgan Warren Co. Bowling Green, Kentucky. Kidnapped case from Apt. Tracked with Kentucky State Patrol and worked with FBI on this case. Successful track to where vehicle parked and switched victim to another vehicle.
08-10-96 96-788-144(H). Worked Beard Case Found evidence. Tracked suspect to same location where we tracked Jackie. Death alert in suspects house and found shove with dirt and hair on it in suspects closet.
09-11-96 Retested FEMA URSAR Standards. Valorie located one DOA Three alive in 5 minutes at NMCLC. Susan Livingston Tester.
09-28-96 96-858-214 Performed BLS Aid on Heart attack patient in flight. Patient: Sheila A. Felts Age#36. Welchwood Dr. Clarksville, Tenn. Dr. Ely St. B's clinic. Admin. 2lpm O2 Rebreather. Monitored vitals and Dr. Admin. 2 nitro. ALS team met us at the airport. Flight#1575 Nashville to Dallas.
10-09-96 96-839-196(K). Marion Co. Grief Therapy at sight where Mariah's body was found. With Ellen Pelker. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Krista also present. MWSD teams able to prove Mariah was murdered and who the suspects were. Police took suspects into custody.
12-10-96 96-910-266 (C). Wash. Co. Missing Person: Cynthia Grotjohn: Team: Harry E. Oakes Jr. (SAR Dog Coordinator) MWSD. K-9-1 SAR Dog Valorie. Responding K-9 Team from MWSD. Heather Frazer (ST). Results: Cleared Ravine West of Nudist Camp. Got strong death alert in Dairy Creek 4/10th of a mile west from Dairy Rd. off of Fern Ridge Rd. Area Flagged. Family notifed. Found coyote poop with human hair remains. Faxed report to WCSO. Flagged area.
12-19-96 96-905-261(B). Mult. Co. Grief Therapy for Hessel family J Brown SE Olvera St. Gresham, Ore. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Worked with the mother and her three kids ref: Their fathers (ART's) death in the Hessell plane crash last year at this time.
01-02-97 97-926-001(B). Cowlitz Co. Phylis Lewellen SARM. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Michelle Keating SAR Dog in training "Rusty" K-9-16. Results: Signed contract, setup overhead management SAR ops. and searched immediate area. Also performed Grief Therapy for children. Gave them both GT Bears. Cowlitz Co. refused to dig up body where our dogs alerted to. We also located blood on a wheel barrow in the garage.
01-08-97 97-928-003(A). Clark Co. Drowning. Ridgefield, Wa. Brian Raff. Five foot of Mill House Boats SlipA-18. Teams. H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. C. Martin SAR Dog Billie K-9-12. Results: Located victim in 5 minutes under dock.
01-25-97 97-938-013 Clack. Co. Mt. Hood White River Canyon Rescue. Victim Dan McKinby Farmcrest Rd Hillsboro, Ore. Fx left radius / ulna with BSA group. Approached our team and asked for help. We splinted fx and put arm in shoulder sling. Vitals and BSA transported victim to Mt. Hood ER. We advised family via telephone
01-25-97 97-939-014 Clack Co. Mt. Hood White River Canyon Rescue. Victim: Elizabeth Berrest NE 8th st. Portland, Ore. Poss. strain ligaments R ankle. splinted and applied ice. Transported to parking lot by BSA Sled and transported to hospital by POV. T
02-08-97 97-949-024(B). Pierce Co. Drowning. Missing Person :Raymond Leon Bickle. H. Oakes K-9-1. SAR Dog "Valorie". Results: Located victim Puget Sound Stellicom Warf area 80 feet deep pacific ocean. Family and S.O. advised. Victim never recovered by S.O.
03-08-97 97-963-039(B). Clack. Co. Mt. Hood, Ore. Private request to assist by family. Missing snow boarder x 3 days. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1 and Garton with SAR Dog in training Dwezel, Michelle Keating base. Results: All of our sar dog teams obtained alerts into Sand Canyon. We advised a news helicopter to search ahead of us in a specific area. They found him alive. CCSO SAR Teams pissed. This after sheriff’s teams, mountain rescue and Search one k-9 detection couldn’t find him.
03-15-97 97-965-042(D). Clack. Co. SARM Sandy, Zach search. Worked as IC. 17 Hrs. Grief Therapy.
03-29-97 97-972-049(B). Island Co. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Cleared assigned areas and put Valorie on a track. We tracked from victims home to the City Beach area and then to the water. We also found victims footprint in search area. Verified by FBI. Water search revealed the victims location mid channel Oak Harbor. Three other SAR Dogs from MWSD verified. Also cleared more areas and cleared suspect vehicle. Her body washed up to shore the next day after a large storm. We found the victim’s trail and footprints after local SAR dog teams failed to with their 7 day search.
04-03-97 97-976-052(A). Mult. Co. Missing Person-Drowning-Accidental. (Victim) We tracked this victim through downtown Portland, Ore. After he had been missing a week. Abraham Steven Ellis: ABE, SE Ash St. Portland, Oregon 97214. Roger Legg: (Biological Father). Wenda L. Ellis (Mother) Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: K-9-1. Tracked victim from PLS to Willamette River. K-9-15 verified. Family and Police and NMCLC notified.
04-04-97 97-976-052(B). Mult. Co. Missing Person research area for drowning victim. Team: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Reconfirmed location of body 300 feet off shore 100 feet from Burnside Bridge. Police recovered his remains right where said he was.
04-09-97 97-979-056(A). L.A. Co. Missing Person: Actor Robert William Axelrod WMA DLS 03-31-97. ETOH. Wallet located on Recita and Oxnard on Sunday. Size 8 shoes. West Valley PD Det. Ryan & Hernandez Missing persons detectives. LAPD has it in their possession. Angel Valentino Laurel Canyon Blvd. N. Hollywood, Ca. Mother called me on 04-10-97 and said she had found her son. Her son Robert was an outpatient at UCLA Olive View Med. Center. I confirmed it with E.R.
05-24-97 97-1001-078 (C). Cowlitz Co. Drowning Private response. Victim: Corinna Sofranko. Team: H. Oakes Overhead management. SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. ST Michelle Keating K-9-16. River lower 4 feet than when drowning occurred. Results: Located victim at PLS. 12 feet of water. Water now class 4.
06-14-97 97-1017-094 Mult. Co. Assisted in Water Rescue Boat Stranded. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Kris Desylvia ST2. RP: Relatives of Kris Desylvia ST Member of MWSD. Lynn Kokos SE Ellis, Portland, Ore. Boat stranded with two adults and three children on board. r/c from KD Family member that her daughter was attempting to hike out for help. We located one of the victims hypothermic and cut by brush 1 mile east of Troutdale in swamp north of I-84. Night mission. Assisted by treating for hypothermia, transporting victim to river patrol and rp did physical retrieval of boat with remaining members of the party.
07-15-97 97-1040-117 Polk / Marion Co. Drowning. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Missing Person: Cody Morris. Drowned in Willamette River Saturday 07-12-97. Results: SAR Dog Teams Located missing person in 5 minutes.
08-10-97 97-1056-133(A). Mult. Co. Lost Child. Jessica Nicole Clark, (Victim). WFJ. age 4. Last seen wearing a yellow one piece bathing suit with "tweety Bird" in front and "Sylvester the cat" in back. She has dark blonde hair, blue eyes, 3 foot tall, 35 lbs. Missing from Sellwood Riverfront Park on the beach by the dock since approx. 1400Hrs. on 08-10-97. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. O. Gomez SAR Dog Buddy K-9-15. Angie Untiz ST#4. Results: Portland Police called us in. We cleared areas. Both of our search dogs alerted in the water under the dock. I informed PPB and PFB. Performed Grief Therapy for Mother. MCSO being unprofessional as usual. Refused to allow all available resources in immediately. Body floated up 3 days later right where our dogs alerted. Boy was PFB and MCSO embarrassed. Search One K-9 Detection Marty Neiman with his dog teams told the Co. no one was there. We told the Co. and PPB the victim was under the dock. We were correct again.
11-06-97 97-1108-185(B). Linn Co. Missing Child. Elijah Kelt Age 4. (Austistic). DLS: Monday. 0830Hrs. 11-03-97. Father Jerry Mother "Kathy" . Lives at: 34632 Riverside Dr. SW Albany, Oregon 97321. 11-05-97 R/C from Jerry. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog "Valorie" K-9-1. Results: Tracked child to where "Valorie" K-9-1 and "Rusty" K-9-16 located victim doa under log debri and 4 feet of water. Divers recovered body. Performed Grief therapy for I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Team members, sar dogs and victim's family. We found Eli after Linn Co. Sheriff refused our offers to assist. Sheriff cost the tax payers over $125,000 in their four day search efforts with bloodhounds, search dogs, helicopters, boats, divers. They didn’t find a thing. We found Eli in 30 minutes.
11-25-97 97-1121-198 Mult. Co. Missing Child-Runaway. Angela Marie Bohan. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog "Valorie" K-9-1 and Krista from the NMCLC. Results: Tracked her down alive and fine.
11-25-97 97-1122-199 Mult. Co. Missing Child-Runaway. Desirae Epley Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog "Valorie" K-9-1 and Krista Widman from the NMCLC. Results: Tracked her down alive and fine.
12-11-97 97-1127-204(C). Wash. Co. Missing Person. Saffa M. Nasir. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog "Valorie" K-9-1. Results: Meet with Private Investigator for the Saffa case at their Tigard office. They had 6 blue shop towels that Dennis used to clean up his van with. I put "Valorie" on each towel for victim id. She alerted on 3 of them. The search was video taped. We id the murder suspect through scent id. Police arrested and convicted suspect. Body later recovered.
12-18-97 97-1133-210(B). Mult. Co. Missing Child. (Karenthian Korey Buford) age 12. WFJ Runaway missing from NE Hacienda Ct. Gresham, Ore. 97030. Parents Joe & Linda Smith. SAR Dog Valorie tracked the runaway and we recovered her alive off the streets.
12-22-97 97-1134-211(A). Clark. Co. Missing juvenile. Athalie Marie Wiser,(Missing Person) NE 52nd. St. Vancouver, Washington. WFJ Home schooled. Grade 9. *Date Last Seen 12-20-97 2230 Hrs. Darrel W. Wiser (Father) Candie Wiser (Mother) Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did initial interview, report, investigation, house and property search, and started track. SAR Dog Valorie located victim alive.
98-1138-003(A). 01-07-98 1430-1930 Hrs. Clark. Co. Missing girl Amber Hughes. Age 15. Team:H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Tracked the girl to an apt. and located where she had stayed on 01-01-98. Interviewed with VPD a witness and faxed BG PD the information for follow up. We found her alive.
02-06-98 98-1147-012(A). Tillamook Co. Missing Person. Karl Schomburg. Teams:H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Pinpointed an area of death alerts along the steep rugged cliffs South of the PLS. Rappelled down cliff, checked on areas of interests of the SAR Dogs from I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Thick brush. Foot prints found. Dogs continued to give death alerts in this area. Winds from the North North West. Friends of the victim advised.
02-25-98 98-1150-015 (C). Darke Co. Lynn Topp Missing Person. Lynn Topp. SAR Dog Valorie and I went to Victim's families home. Joe Marylou Topp Rossburg, Oh. Lynn's Parents. Obtained a scent article, Drove to nearby city PD ref: a wma who claimed he had Lynn for a satanic ritual. Did vehicle check for scent id on . No alerts. Went back to other areas of interests and cleared more areas. Definite death alerts in one area searched on a farm. Sheriff dug with a backhoe and recovered Linn’s remains. Suspect had cut her face off, fingers off, poured gasoline on her, wrapped her in plastic, buried her five feet deep, put 20 feet of debris on top of the site and SAR Dog Valorie still found her remains. Good job valorie. Val found this little girls remains after local k-9 SAR teams failed to find anything. (Sheriff obtained a search warrant based on Val’s findings).
02-27-98 98- 1153-017 (A). Union City, Ohio, Missing Girl, Scent id. Worked on another Homicide case and suspect id in Union City. Officer Bruce A. Jamison West Water St. Piqua, Oh Ref: Shaylene M. Farrell Age 18 WFA DLS: 08-08-94. 135 Lbs. 5 foot. Hazel eyes. Mother Darlene Farrell Piqua, Oh Met at 1715 Hrs. PU Scent article Prom dress in black plastic garbage bag. Mother stated it hadn't been washed. Worked search area. (See report). 3 areas of interests. Death alerts each area. Then did boot / shoe suspect id off of victim's scent article. Valorie id one pair of brown boots 3 times and one pair of black tennis shoes twice as positive hits. Police advised. 1750 Hrs. Did newspaper and TV interviews. Suspect later admitted to the murder.
03-06-98 98-1152-016(F). Milan, Tennessee, Missing persons case. Fd. Researched and reconfirmed pond # 4. Middle Rd Pond. Death alerts. PD Advised. Divers searched and see report for findings. We found a body but not Casey's. Red Maroon Pants, White T Shirt, Five Cinder Blocks with wire clothes line loop bindings still intact. Axe. Steel plates with bindings also recovered. Skeleton remains believed to be human.
06-20-98 98-1209-073(A). Clark. Co. Missing Child. Kristy Duell, VPD Case# S-98-10137 Age 16. Missing Child. RP: Marianna Kuhn NE 176th Ave. Battleground, Wa. Missing Child: Marilee Snyder. VPD Case# S-98-10104 Age 16. Missing Child. RP: Carole Browning Loowit Loop, Vanc. Wa. Missing Child: Tiffany Browning VPD Case# S-98-7419 Age 17. Mrs. Burnett Vanc. Wa. Missing Child: Jessica Burnett VPD Case# S-98-10166 Age 15. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Located suspect(s) who had been drugged and raped these little girls, and then kidnapped them to Mexico. We recovered all of the girls alive. Feds wouldn’t prosecute the bad guys.
06-28-98 98-1217-081 Clatsop. Co. Drowning Pacific Ocean Cannon Beach Haystack rock. Team: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie, M. Keating SAR Dog Rusty/Murphy. Results: All 3 dogs gave death alerts off Haystack rock. CPD advised. 33 yo female missing from a suicide.
06-30-98 98-1220-084(A). Wash. Co. Nancy Hawkins private search for her daughter who is missing. SARA Victoria Hawkins (Missing Child). Teams: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR dog Rusty K-9-2. Results: We located her daughter alive. She had been drugged and kidnapped by an internet suspect. Wash. Co. S.O. Detective bad mouthed our efforts. Mrs. Hawkins chewed him a new asshole. Stating, Harry was the only one she gave full credit for finding her daughter alive and bringing her home safe. The Det. Had no comment after that."
07-07-98 98-1228-092(B). Clack. Co. RP: Myrtle Conlon Pleasant Ave. Oregon City, Ore. Ref: Missing Child, Kayce Marie Scott-Conlon. Team: H. Oakes. Results: SAR Dog Valorie located this girl in downtown Portland, Ore. Kayce had cut and dyed her hair, clothing, changed her appearance. But you can’t change your scent. Val got her back home alive.
07-17-98 98-1233-097 (A). Mult. Co. Missing Person. B. E. Oakes Kim Holden SW. Mawr Crest Dr. Gresham, Or. Team: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: See reports. I located him alive.
08-11-98 98-1251-115(A). Clack. Co. Katrina Marie Angus. Kidnapping. Teams: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Tracked Katrina and established route traveled. Did initial interview with parents and friends.
08-31-98 98-1261-125 Drove from Portland down to Eureka PD and did night search for missing Karen Mitchel. She has been missing for 10 months. Valorie did great track to where body was disposed of in the inlet ocean. Police Officer with me during track.
09-20-98 98-1277-141 Skamania Co. Victim: Jackie Woldridge SE Woodward St. Portland, Ore. Hamilton Mtn. Trail. First Aid Brown Recluse Spider bite. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Pt LOC X 3. No <> 120. Pearls. Skin normal. Admin. Benadryl tab. Lid. 2% on bite site. Topical ointment.
10-19-98 98-1291-155 Clack. Co. Missing Person. Laura Lee Hoyt. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Minor alerts. Searched house and vehicles. We located her sleeping in a hospital intensive care ward with a patient she didn’t even know.
11-09 through 19-08, Hurricane Mitch Honduras. 98-1301-165 Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Tegusagalpa. Fire Dept. Met with Riley Wooten 11-18-98 Wed We located 29 victims dead. Buried in flood mudslides. Fire Dept. witnessed finds.
12-11-98 98-1318-182. Mult. Co. Missing person. Joshua Petefish. Missing from: Anthony Adult Foster Care N. WIlbur St. Portland, Oregon. North Greeley Ave and Killingsworth St. Joshua was last seen wearing a brown checked quarter length coat with a fur lapel. a dark blue sweatshirt, jeans and black Nike tennis shoes. 6-02" 210 Lbs. with black hair. Anthony Adult Foster Care Center Mult. Co. Divi. of Devel. Dis. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Tracked to 7-11- Store. Then to bus stop in front of 7-1-1 store. RP's advised.
12-28-98 98-1314-178F Klamath Co. Missing child. Derrick Engebretson Case. We offered services to sheriff’s Dept. They refused. Family called us in privately after sheriff’s dept, K-9 SAR teams, blood hounds, helicopters, failed to find anything. SAR Dog Valorie and I called in privately from family. SAR Dog Valorie and I worked the search area with the family present we found where Derricks tracks, where he slept under a log, crossed roads twice and fell through the frozen ice on Klamath lake. This after three different search dog teams, bloodhound teams, tracking teams and ground teams failed to find anything. Our findings documented and photographed and verified by family members.
01-11-99 99-1328-005 Linn Co. Drowning. Victim's name Ryan Lee Willam Pitts age 13. Drowned Sat. 01-09-99. While duck hunting. boat tipped over, No pfds worn.Water Very COLD and SWIFT.Ryan attended Lebonan Middle School Did consult case.
01-11-99 99-1329-006 S.C. and Ohio. Missing person. Dennis Massie Lockwood Blvd. Youngstown, Ohio Missing person: Todd James Massie NCIC#: Out of Monroe Co. Bloomington Indiana. Consulting work
01-12-99 99-1328-005(B). Linn Co. Drowning. Ryan Lee Willam Pitts. Teams:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1, M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Canceled upon arrival. Victim located by his father. Did CISD on scene and at Ryan's school.
01-26-99 99-1336-013(B). Missing persons case, Ref: Chip McCain. Flew to Minneapolis. Consulted on case and was able to determine what had happened to chip.
02-20-99 99-1343-022(A). Jackson Co. Missing Person Victoria Kelly Coleman Creek, Medford Son missing (Thomas Erin Devine Kelly) DLS: 01-26-99. PLS: Pioneer Rd. We flew down and determined he was dead.
03-06-99 99-1354-033(B). Clack. Co. Missing Person. David Francis Aszman. Drove on 03-06-99 0730Hrs. to PLS Sandy River. near Dodge Park. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Worked both sides from PLS Both sar dogs alerted 100 yards downstream. We then worked area search and found nothing. We then floated down to Oxbow in large raft. Water COLD. Both dogs also alerted 1/2 mile down stream in a deep section. Near where his kayak was recovered.
04-06-99 99-1367-046 Mult. Co. Missing Person Runaway: RP: William C. Jager SE Lincoln St. Portland, Ore. Jennifer Ann Jager. NMCLC case. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Tracked Jennifer to where she was staying.
04-13-99 99-1371-050 Mult. Co. Found runaway Jennifer Lynn Rochell Mother Loretta Toth Team: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Girl recovered alive sleeping in neighbors tree house. Mother notified.
05-17-99 99-1389-068A. Clack. Co. Missing Person: Christine Marie Prothe Ogden St. Portland, Oregon Mark Conn DLS: Sat. 1000Hrs. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Tracked Christine to where she got on a bus. Family advised.
05-18-99 99-1389-068B. Clack. Co. Missing Person: Christine Marie Prothe SE Ogden St. Portland, Oregon Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Located Christine in Seaside, Ore. with old boyfriend. Family and police advised.
06-11-99 99-1408-087 Mult. Co. First Aid Call. 9 yo boy fell off bike at Gresham City Park. Injury large hematoma left skull above left ear. Edema, PEARLS, Normal pulse, resp. No jaw fx. No apparent c spine inj. Found parents. applied ice, and direct pressure to inj. sight to control bleeding. Parents advised to transport child to hospital immediately.:
06-24-99 99-1417-096A Mult. Co. Missing Person. Amy Bowerman Age 15 Lou & Darlene Bowerman Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1 located Amy to where we found her alive.
07-13-99 99-1421-100A. Mult. Co. Missing Person, Amatha Saenz. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Searched the apt that Susan and Amatha shared. See report for findings. We found that she had been killed.
07-24-99 99-1421-100H Wash. Co. Missing Person Amatha Saenz. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1, M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Searched more areas of Forest Park. (Hoyt Arb). Found woman's belt. Both dogs getting death alerts.
08-19-99 99-1448-127(B). Turkey Earthquake. Offered services. Team: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Flew to Turkey, worked assigned areas. Located 4 live 41 dead. 100% humidty 100Degree heat. Lots of dead. Saturday. 1122Hrs. Arrived Istanbul. 1150Hrs. Briefed at Airport CP with Task Force#1 FEMA Florida. Drove to Adapazari in small car with local volunteer SAR folks. 1640Hrs. Arrived and briefed at CP to just go start searching areas. NO ICS system set up. Set up my camp with German team.1705 Hrs. First Building searched called "The Plaza" Cumbunyet Mah. Dr. Kamilsok's office building. Valorie found 3 DOA. 1757Hrs. Searched a collapsed Bakery store on Char St. and Sasyapastone St. Found one Dead. 1900Hrs. Very tired, rested. Base camp with teams from Hungary, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and USA. Met with representative from Governors office. Each district has a different government. We got into a heated discussion with all teams as the Turkish Government feels there are no more survivors and want to bulldoze all of the buildings and spread lime. We all said no. But they started telling every one (All team leaders) that if we quarantine the areas, you'll be here for a minimum of one month then. The Belgium team left that night. 2215 Hrs. Sipi St. near Bakery Found 1 Dead and a 14 yo girl ALIVE. She was buried under collapsed home, brick construction, in bedroom. Local rescuers dug her out. Made the news. 2300Hrs. Did Taped interview with CBS. Hungry Team with me during live find and they dug her out. 2400Hrs. Went to bed. Too hot, stressed. The stench of death is every where.
08-22-99 Sun. 99-1448-127(G). Turkey Earthquake. 0400Hrs. Searched building near Irik St.in Adapazari. No alerts. 0429Hrs. Searched another building next door found 2 dead. 0540Hrs. Searched Yenidogan Fabrihn St. and Tung St. Found one dead, one alive. 50 yo woman trapped in bedroom under four stories of debri. Local military and police providing security. Ambulance transporting victims, both dead and alive. Fire Dept. standing by and watching. Doing nothing. Military spreading LIME for disease control. Had to ask them to stop as it was hurting all of the search dogs noses, eyes, feet. Also had to ask the heavy equipment operators to stop using machines so we could bring search dogs in to search buildings. Many of the dead that we found, were in buildings already cleared by USAR teams from Spain, Italy, and other countries that didn't have search dogs. Lots of glass, sharp metal, power lines down everywhere. Buildings some standing fine with just broken glass. Others collapsed right on the spot. 0800Hrs. Searched another building two blocks away and found 3 dead. 1100Hrs. Searched another building next door found 1 dead. 1200Hrs. Took a much needed break. The heat is horrible and so is the stench of death. Valorie very tired and depressed. Cleaned up self, repacked gear, and cleaned up Valorie. 1600Hrs. Marla and Suha gave us a ride to Istanbul. Hyatt Regency in Istanbul Rm#407, comp room Val is first dog ever to spend night at Hyatt there. 1700Hrs. Did interview with USA Today. Talked with Mary N. Biddle People Magazine. 1200Hrs. Met with LA Times #401 Mary Beth Sheridan. F/ Mexico. 1300Hrs. Met with NTV reporter and crew.
Discussed government’s position on closing search down and bulldozing buildings. Talked with Philidelphia Enquirer and Washington Post reporters. 1400Hrs. Went into Avcilar City west of Istanbul. Met witth General Figuaro. Gave consent for us to search four building they were in the process of bulldozing. B#1 2 dead. B#2 1 dead. B#3 1 dead B#4 0 finds. All buildings unstable, not shored up, and very dangerous to search. No looting observed. HOT outside. 1458Hrs. Admin. First Aid to Valorie. She cut her left rear pad deep. 1600Hrs. Left Aviclar, toured stricken areas. Met with Military CP for Avcilar. They refused to allow any more search dog teams to search in their sector. 3 more live recoveries occurred today throughout the area. This has to be an embarrassment to the government who is closing down SAR Operations.1700Hrs. Dinner meeting with Marla and Sammy. 1900Hrs. Went to Sammy’s home and spent night. Cleaned Val. Self, Gear, wrote reports. Emailed M. Keating. I called airlines, I cannot get out until the Aug 29. So I'm here. Will use the time to teach the people post disaster operations. Work with NTV ref: story about before, during, after a quake on what to do. Many people are uneducated about earthquakes and don't understand they can move back into their homes that haven't been damaged. They are too scared and ill informed. The Government troops I'm being told are so corrupt, they do what they want.Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1
We were informed that the two live victims that Valorie and Dax found in the rubble had died during extraction/rescue. This according to the Doctor on scene. SO both dogs were correct in all of their live and dead finds. *Witnesses: Marla Petal (0216) 391-9055 Sammy Nasreddin (212) 262-3933. Email: samrem@superonline.com Returned home, cleaned gear, dog, self. Rested. Performed CISD/CISM on team members and local victims of the quake with councelor Marla. She did a good job.08-26-99 Repacked SAR gear. Worked on reports. Tried to contact M Keating. LM. Took a long walk to deal with the death that I’ve seen. Toured the city. Met with some FEMA support teams. Wrote reports. Worked in various areas. Found nothing new. Visited the hospital and did grief therapy with the children who lost all of their families, and homes. Worked on training two Turkish K-9 SAR dog Teams all day so they can continue their work.
08-27-99 Friday. 99-1448-127(L). Went to the town of Degirmendere. We obtained approval to enter this town for SAR Purposes. Many teams have gone home, but still, many are sticking it out. We have people from Japan, Turkey, England, Holland, Germany, USA, S. Africa. Went to Building # 1. Val gave one live/one dead alert. We heard tapping from within. Everyone was happy and yelling with joy. We confirmed with 2nd dog team and a sensitive microphone. They dug for 3 hrs. Returned to reconfirm the exact spot and both dogs gave death alerts. The person had died during the rescue attempt. Went to second building, obtained two death alerts.
They uncovered a man and woman sleeping in their bed holding each other dead. We also uncovered another older mans remains. Went to third building SAR Dog Dax cut his foot, so we stopped, cleaned up the wound and administered first aid to his left front pad. Deep cut. Worked Val on the next three sites. Third building we obtained 2 more death alerts and one live alert. They began digging. Unknown what the results were of that rescue effort as dog and handlers were exhausted. Went to fourth building collapsed and obtained two more death alerts. Both bodies recovered. One older woman and one younger man. 08-28-99 99-1448-127(M).Had large meeting with the AKUT (Turkish Search and Rescue). It went well. We debriefed their teams and ourselves ref: the rescue work and political issues. Discussed ways that might better their operations. 08-29-99 99-1448-127 (N). Flew home.
09-19-99 99-1468-147 Mult. Co. Missing Child. Waterfront Park. Victim: Jennifer Bergstrom 5'5' 150 lbs short straight blnde/ blue eyes Meds. "Zoloff". Race for the Cure T shirt, blue jean shorts, white Nike size 7 t shoes. Mentality of an 8 yo. RP: Susan Bergstrom NW Ashby Ptld Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Located subject alive and fine.
11-08-99 99-1509-188 Turkey Rescued inj. dog. Found male 1 yo collie x during training with nasty infected wound in neck. Took it to United Kennels and cleaned wound and sutured it closed with help from Vet tech. 11-13-99 99-1510-188 A-B. Turkey Earthquake #2. While teaching in Turkey, (Teaching Search and Rescue to the mountain rescue teams here and the K-9 teams here). We experienced numerous after shocks from the quake two months ago. Fri. night. We here in Istanbul felt a strong quake. It lasted only 30 seconds and then we turned on the news, wow what a mess. Three cities all small in population about 4000 population each, were destroyed about 140 miles SE of Istanbul. Near Ankara. So we all geared up and the Istanbul K-9 team that I've been teaching all week got the real test for their dogs and themselves. We arrived SATURDAY AM in a small down near DOKAR, and every other building was leveled. So we went to work. This was much different then working the quake here two months ago. This time everyone was helping including the military who just stood around last time and did nothing. We were the only search dog team here in this area for two days before more resources were brought in from Great Britain and other countries. In a cafe there were 24 bodies. In a covered bus stop, there were 7. We found 8 live persons and 21 dead between 6 search dogs teams and mine (Valorie). We would put Valorie and I in first to identify where they were, then I would bring in another new team and watch them work. Each handler did their job great and so did each dog. They avoided the falling debris which could have killed them and their dog instantly. They avoided the exposed hazmat and electrical lines, sharp nails, metal and glass that surrounded the search areas. Once we marked the spots, the ORDOS AND AKUT (Local search teams) would start digging. Every where that VALORIE and the other search dog teams hit, we produced either a live or dead person.
In one 18 hour day, we cleared 18 destroyed structures finding both live and dead persons. It was approximately 46degrees F which is pretty cold for these parts and many of the persons we found alive lost a limb or two. They had been pinned in by heavy concrete structures and the local doctors and medical personnel had no other choices. It was not uncommon to return to the search area after they removed the victim to a hospital and the dog would alert to a dead human body part which turned out to be a foot attached to a leg.
The most emotional part of the search for me was a home with 7 small children in it. We located one child alive, age 11. When we dug him out, he said there were 6 more children. We spent many hours searching this collapsed structure, digging, and researching. As Val and I were literally crawling on our stomachs through one section, she alerted under a couch, I reach down with my hand and felt under it and a crumpled carpet with the light of my head lamp on my helmet as my light source and found a little 4 year old boy crushed to death. His face so innocent, not yet allowed to live his life and experience what it could have been. He was gone instantly. I checked him to confirm he was dead (were required to do that) and his body was still warm. Which meant he had just died. I fought back the tears of anger and frustration and moved on. We eventually found all of the kids three in the kitchen and the rest in the stairwell. All dead. Crushed to death. To look into these parents eyes and through in an interpreter tell them their children are dead and hear the screams of anguish and pain was horrible. But to give them closure was a comforting feeling as we all wiped the tears from our eyes. The total dead as of today stands at around 450 with 1600 injured and thousands homeless. Many more will survive this one compared to the last one two months ago because the Government learned their lessons and so did many of the people and we all worked together as one team to help those stricken. Harry E. Oakes Jr. SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1.
02-03-2000 2000-1562-024 Indonesia, Missing Person. Miranda. Tara Budiman Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. did consult.
02-10-2000 2000-1566-028 (B). Clack. River RP: Vivian Almond ref: Lost son. Team:H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Took initial report. Obtained scent articles. Performed Grief Therapy. Went to victims home/work obtained more scent articles and wit. interviews. Went to PLS and did search. Found victim and his dog in water. Verified by K-9-2. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi.
02-26-2000 2000-1584-046 LA Ca. Missing person. From: "Mary Negrete" Michael Negrete he disappeared from his dorm at UCLA in the early morning hours of December 10, 1999. Mary Negrete. Team:H.Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Offered services.
02-28-2000 2000-1585-047 (A). Mult. Co. Runaway. Michala Hayford SE 68th Portland, Ore. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Determined that Michala is still in Portland staying at a friends home. Worked with parents. Initial report, contract, emails, search room, interviewed friends, called suspect. Returned Michala home safe. Found both Michala and Daisy alive.
04-02-2000 2000-1606-068 (A). Clack. Co. Endangered Runaway. Heather L. Hunt. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Met with family. Signed contracts, searched room, obtained photos found child alive. Returned her into custody of parents.
04-24-2000 2000-1618-080 (A). Adam Parr Mult Co. Missing Person. Team: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Took initial report. Signed contracts, searched room, interviewed family and friends, called bank. Searched car. Met boat at Willamette Park 0700Hrs. Searched river. (Body recovered 05-02-2000 where our SAR dogs Alerted. Side scanning sonar used to locate victim along with dogs.
05-23-00 2000-1628-090(A). Clack. Co. Drowning 21 yo in Clack. River High Rocks. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Val located victim in water.
05-27-2000 2000-1635-097(B). Mult. Co. Missing Child Shriners Hospital. Sean Vinson 12 yo male. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Checked more areas on the hill and down town Portland. Loc. kid at Barbur Blvd Vet Clinic.
06-18-2000 2000-1651-113 (B). Linn Co. Lebonan, Ore. Ref: 17yo wmj drowning. RP: Rhonda Dival "Sangster age 17, wmj, Linn County Sanderson Bridge South Santiam near Crabtree. John Sangster was swimming with two friends just before 3 p.m. when he was caught in a current, swept into a large eddy and went underwater about three miles upstream from Sanderson's Bridge, Linn County Sheriff Dave Burright reported. John is the son of Arlene Sangster of Albany, a cashier for Northwest Natural, and Rick Sangster of California. lived with his mother, stepgrandfather Glenn Gerdlund and Gerdlund's friend in southwest Albany. Team:H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. Team: M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Pam Stanley ST1. Results: Drove team down to PLS, Located victim near PLS. Family advised.
07-15-2000 2000-1673-134 (A). Mult. Co. (Missing Person). Robin Andrews RP: Rick Kruegger Father is: Bob Andrews. Missing person is Robin Andrews WFA Bi polar DLS: Today 18 hours ago 5'01" 103lbs Brn frosted hair. Missing from N Webster St. Portland, Ore. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. ST- Tori Darnell. K-9-2. Michelle Keating SAR Dog Yogi. Results: 1750Hrs. R/C from Rick and Bob ref: Missing person. I called Michelle and placed her on standby. 1810Hrs. I responded to scene. Did initial interview with family, friends. Obtained signed contract and scent articles. Val did track to Trimet Bus stop on Interstate blvd. Called Michelle Keating. She had Yogi do a track. We ended up in the same site. Family advised. Body located where dogs track to. Police called.
07-18-2000 2000-1675-136 (A). Mult. Co. Missing person Gov. Island Justin Robert Nero DLS: Sunday 07-16-2000 Government Island West of I 205 Bridge 1/2 mile. William Otty Rd. Clackamas, Ore. Boat 16' aluminum open boat. Small horsepower engine. Boat found up stream underneath bridge. 0130Hrs. Justin was missing. Teams: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Found where body went into river. Family advised.
07-24-2000 2000-1680-142(A). Criminal Complaint filed against Marty Neiman Search One K-9 Detection team. ref: telephone harassment with Ore. Dept of Justice and DEM Oregon.
07-27-2000 2000-1682-144(A). Offered services to RCMP. Marcus McKay, an eight-year-old boy missing for four days in a remote part of Manitoba, Darlene Dumas, who moved to Mallard, Manitoba, with her son two weeks ago from Winnipeg. Sergeant Craig Cochrane, the RCMP's Winnipegosis detachment commander. Marcus was hunting with his stepfather and several others on Saturday on the east shore of Waterhen Lake Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson. Waterhen General Store. Dauphin Friendship Centre, we determined what happened to child.
07-31-2000 2000-1690-152(A). Lost child. RP: Terri Hadley SE Romona St. Portland, Ore. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR dog Yogi K-9-2. ST N. Irwin. Missing Child age 4 "Kayla" Ragmoni SE Ellis Portland, Ore. Mother Carmen McKee last seen wearing a blue bathing suit. Long brown hair. Results: Child missing at 2010Hrs. We were called at 2045Hrs. Child found upon arrival 12 blocks from PLS.
08-14-2000 Mon. Claudia Kirschoch case Jamaica. R/C from White House and Senator Frelinghausen. NJ. SAR Dog Valorie and I arrive in Jamaica 0700Hrs. Went to the Negril Gardens Hotel Room# 58. Met with Fred and Mary Ann and discussed their daughter’s case. Talked with US Ambassador. 08-15-2000 Tues. Did a track off Claudia's scent articles from Beaches resort Rm:621.
FBI and Local JPD police with us. Tracked Claudia's most recent scent from her room, west to the ocean sandy beach area, into the water, then out of the water South East. Then south along the beach to Swept Away resort. Then East through Swept Away resort to the security gate to the public road where scent stopped on road. At this time Claudia got into a vehicle and left the area. There was no stress alerts in this area of the track so she was not afraid at the time she walked this route. Winds gusting from the North at 5-15MPH. Clear sky, warm. Searched homes. Searched Anthony's vehicle on Green Island. Home #1, belongs to Anthony Grant’s Mother. The vehicle is a White Toyota Corolla 4 door . SAR dog Valorie gave "MAJOR DEATH ALERTS" after being introduced to Claudia's scent articles. SAR Dog Valorie alerted in the back seat, trunk, and on a pair of leather, grey, vibram-soled hiking boots that were stored in the back of the Toyota. Anthony admitted they were his boots. The soles appeared to have yellow hard rocks imbedded in them. There were no grains of sand attached to the insole areas or inseam areas. The boots appeared to have been worn only once. This disputes Anthony’s statement that he wore them while on the sandy beach. SAR Dog Valorie also alerted on Claudia's scent on a cleaning brush located in the back of the car, and Val also alerted on the gray trunk liner. In Anthony's bedroom, Val alerted on a MAJOR DEATH ALERTS on a pair of soiled leather gloves and some clothing found by the FBI teams. These items seized by the FBI. NOTE: When I informed the FBI team that Anthony's boots needed to be taken into evidence. Anthony immediately picked up his boots and handed them to his mother and she immediately started walking away with them. I had the police stop her. She denies any knowledge of such an incident. The local police took Anthony to the local police department where we interviewed him. He repeatedly denied having any idea of what happened to Claudia. When asked about lying to the police and FBI agents repeatedly during their initial investigation and again while being given the polygraph examination, Anthony stated, "None of you know what you're talking about." When I explained to Anthony how scent and scent evidence works, and how search dogs detect scent and the transfer of scent from one person to another person or another person’s clothing and vehicle, Anthony stated, "Your dog doesn't know what she's doing." Then Anthony's attorney arrived on scene and we explained everything to him about how search dogs detect scent and the nature of scent. Anthony continued to deny any wrongdoing through his attorney. 08-16-2000 Wed. (R). Did a retrack of Claudia's route from Beaches Hotel Rm# 621. Val did same track ending up at same location along the main road in front of Swept Away Resort. We then searched pump house areas #5 and #2. Numerous public and private beaches. In the Longbeach area, SAR dog Valorie started giving alerts along a treed area in the public beach. Nothing found. SAR Dog Valorie then started giving strong alerts into the water by airscenting. Winds from the NW at 10MPH. Searched ocean from Beaches Resort North to alerts located in the ocean.
SAR Dog Valorie alerted to scent from Claudia in the ocean. In inspecting the areas up to BBQ Island, there were no physical findings of any human remains. Met with Det. Calbert Bowen from Jamaican Police. He took statement ref; our searches, search history. Dinner with Calbert, Fred, Mary Anne. Dr. Foote met with Val and I inspected Valorie. (FBI Forensics confirmed Val’s findings).
08-21-2000 2000-1699-161 (A). Egypt Missing Persons Consult Case:Lamia Eltouny Elizabeth, N.J. 07208 brother's name: Ahmed Eltouny Dena Eltouny
11-02-2000 2000-1737-199 (D). Minnesota. Missing persons cases. ARPIL GEYER Rose Forcum. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Flew to Minn. Results: Found victim and evidence. Turned it over to SO.
11-17-2000 2000-1753-215(B). Coos Co. Missing Bow Hunter 46 yo Chris Lapping. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Drove to Medford. PU Scent articles, signed contract, interviewed Dawn, searched home/garage, premises, property and vehicles. Then drove down to Roseburg and met Teri and family. Drove to search site on Burnt Mtn. Set up camp. Searched crash site.PU track heading SE f/ Cliff elk trail. Determined he was dead in the area. Remains in coyote feces.
12-16-2000 2000-1761-223 (A). Missing Person. Clark Co Andrew John Allinger NE Mattson Rd. Brush Prairie, Wa Date Last Seen: 12-15-2000 Walk up the road goes 3-4 miles. AlderBrook. 5 miles. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: tracked missing person to where he got picked up. CCSO and SKSAR and SSSAR on scene. I then checked the pls Bank in BG and confirmed he was there. Family advised. Family called. They received a letter in pm, Andrew walked and rode exactly where Val tracked. He’s OK up in Seattle, Wa.
01-28-2001 2001-1784-015(A). Wasco. Co. Inj. Snow sledder. Fx left radius. White River Canyon. Victim: 11 yo Tim Wyman Gladstone Park Church Trail Inn Youth group. Tim's father is Don. Mother is Sue. Wit. Pam House Nurse at P/A Psych unit. She gave Tim one oral tylenal. I admin. hard splint. checked vitals, and made contact with parents through SO. Teams: H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Pt transported by POV to hospital.
02-18-2001 2001-1793-024(A). Clack. Missing Person Ken Bowlsby SARM. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. SE Johnson Creek Blvd. Portland, Oregon. Milw. Ore. 97222. Results: Ken located in Providence Milw. Hospital.
02-28-2001 2001-1796-027(A). Earthquake Portland, Ore. Inspect. Montgomery Bldg, OHSU, VA, NW Hills, SW Hills, SE Ptld. Inspected buildings for victims and damage.
06-27-2001 2001-1886-117 (A). St. Croix. Missing Police Officer Wendell Williams. CPD. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Flew to St. Croix for SARM. Missing Police Officer. Search various areas for Police. Val alerted in Ocean near Hay beach. Police advised. Water search conducted.
09-08-2001 2001-1960-190(A). Pacific Co. Wash. Missing 8 yo. Rod show. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. ST: Tiffiny Allen ST#1. Results: Child found ok by family upon arrival.
09-11-2001 2001-1964-194(A). New York World Trade Center Towers Terrorist Explosions. Teams:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Offered services by email and fax to EMS. Also did TV interview by telephone for Tulsa OK news crew ref: Disaster.
09-13-2001 2001-1964-194(C). New York World Trade Center Towers Terrorist Explosions. Teams:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: Offered services through Congress Frelinghausen 11th District NJ. by telephone and contacted NY City F.D. EOC. Did newspaper interview by telephone for Gresham Newspaper.
09-24-2001 2001-1976-207(A). Marion Co. Missing child. RP:Emily Doss (Mother) Bunker Ridge Rd. S. Salem, Ore. Husband: Franklin Doss. Sarah Elizabeth Doss DLS: 09-19-2001 1800Hrs. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did initial telephone interview. Found hiding at boyfriends home.
10-10-2001 2001-1987-218(A) Missing Person. Clack. Co. Poss. Runaway. RP: Starla Busselle Faye Ore. City, Ore. 97045. Daughter: Tracy Ann Busselle We recovered her daughter back alive.
11-12-2001 2001-2019-250(B). Clark. Co. Missing altz pt Mr. Earl Sexton Met at victim's residence. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. Results: We located where his body was in Washugal River. CCSO and family advised.
12-01-2001 2001-2031-262(B). Tillamook Co. Missing Persons. Eugene H. Hyatt, 18, Kami L. Vollendroff, 16. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results. Drove to Depot Bay Boiler Bay winds f/ SW 70mph raining hard. Val gave death alerts in the bay.
12-04-2001 2001-2032-263(A). Attempted suicide. RP: Roy Holland R/C 2116Hrs. Missing Person: Tamara marie Holland Wife DLS: Today 1255Hrs. Central time. Killeen Texas, Last seen wearing blue jeans w/ right knee torn. White tennis shoes size 6-1/2. Grey color sweet top w/ hood. Wedding band, marki diamond. 5'07" 120 lbs. WF blue eyes. Killeen PD Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results. RP Called ref: obtaining a private dog team. I sent him an email ref: Suggestions on how to find his wife. Wife found alive.
03-08-2002 2002-2150-080(A). Mult. Co. Assisted in Arrest of Mike Neighbor to Nancy Irwin. Mike approached me shaken. Explained he was high on meth and just violated his R.O. PPB arrested him. Val held him until ppb arrived.
03-15-2002 2002-2146-076(H). Clack. Missing Child Ashley Pond. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Searched Wards property. Made contact with Lori from the ptld FBI, did interview with Don and his wife (lori's step dad and mother). Checked library records, talked with neighbors. Did search down in creek. Did interview with AP reporter. Results: See report. (I believe ashley's remains are under wards poured cement. I advised the FBI). Aug. 2002 FBI Finally dug up the concrete. SAR Dog Valorie was correct. Ashley was stuffed inside a 50 gal barrel. Four feet down under concrete slab. Val was the only search dog of the 14 they had search wards property that located where Ashley was. Bodies were in the freezer in the kitchen. FBI refused to acknowledge we found Ashley. We went public four days before they dug Ashley up and told the media where her body was. We were right.
03-20-2002 2002-2146-076(I). Clack. Missing Child Ashley Pond. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Searched Hwy 213 and found two femur bones in canyon below Hwy. Took them to hospital and orthopedics verified these were human. (Fresh Human). Turned them in along with reports, photos on cd and hair that we recovered the other day to Oregon City PD MK and Y find human hair inside coyote poop. All given to OCPD property officer. PD never gave us credit for finding a 3rd body. Oops.
05-29-2002 2002-2255-185(A). Drowning. From: jenny hucko: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 7:59 PM Subject: missing father hello, my name is jenny hucko. a week ago my father was boating on the tippecanoe river in winemac, indiana with two friends, and the boat capsized. Two of them, including my father fell into the water, and they still havent found him. His friend got to shore. The first two days they had alot of state police there and a few boats. They refused to dive because they said the river was too high and the current was going too fast. Since then, the river has dropped a few feet, and the temperature has risen. They still have relucted to do anything. They say it is a recovery and there’s nothing they can really do. We offered a number with volunteer teams and bloodhound dogs. They refused. There were never any land searches or k9 dogs, etc. So we have gotten family and friends together ourselves and looked day and night, but still nothing. This is tearing us apart, and we are desperate to find any kind of help, or information on what we could do next. My father was an excellent fisherman, swimmer, and hunter, and none of this makes sense to us. You'd think they'd be doing everything in their power to find him. So if you could please contact me with any kind of information, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you, Jenny Hucko Team: H. Oakes Results: Did email consult. They did what I asked them to do and found their father’s body.
06-06-2002 2002-2269-199(A). Missing person Germany. British Louise Kerton disappeared in Germany at the end of July 2001. No one has seen or heard from her since. This is extremely out of character. She knew no foreign languages and her bank accounts & mobile phones remain inactive. German police forces will not do anything to search for her. The family she was staying with are extremely suspicious. They are known by English police from a previous murder enquiry. They will not cooperate with our family or the police. There are vast fields/woodlands/quarries surrounding where she went missing that have never been searched. The family, our private investigators & English police strongly feel they should be. A psychic who has solved many missing persons cases in the past says that her body is located near Kemper Werth and Diescholl on the following maps Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Placed team on sb. Did email consult.
06-07-2002 2002-2270-200(A).Montana. Missing Person. RP: Missing Person. RP: Lisa Kresge (West Galer St. AptE 401 Seattle, Wa. Michelle Erin Kresge age 31. Husband Bob McEaney Here is the information sent by my brother-in-law. South Avenue East, Missoula, MT . I am leaving for MT in a few minutes so I will have to contact you when I arrive. Thank you very much for your support. Sincerely, Lisa Kresge ----- Michele Kresge, last seen walking in the University neighborhood and/or the Mt. Sentinel trails on Thursday, June 6, at 5:15 pm. Height 5'"2 Weight 134lb Hair Brown Eyes Green Was wearing a short sleeve grey cotton t-shirt (as seen in the picture), Dark Blue Wrangler Blue Jeans, and Blue/Dark Grey Lowa low cuffed day hikers. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Did consult.
06-07-2002 2002-2270-201(A). RP: Sharon Schroeder Missing Regina Wright Lake of the Ozarks Missouri Woman missing w/ 45 muscle relaxers and a loaded 38 revolver. Suicidal. Did consult. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. See reports.
06-07-2002 2002-2271-202(A). Missing 14 yo in Salt Lake City Utah. WMA 5'08 dark hair, small cal. weapon. Tan denim type jacket and whitie baseball cap. Gray Nisson or honda. Missing Child is: Elizabeth Smart age 14, abducted 3 days ago from home. Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Offered services by fax. They refused. She was eventually found 3 miles away from the PLS. See reports.
06-08-2002 2002-2266-196(E). San Diego Co. Missing Person. RP: H. Oakes Missing person B Oakes. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Found him alive. Faxed reports to everyone
07-21-2002 2002-2324-254(A). Clack. Co. Missing Person. RP: Kristy Schaefer 44 yo male Randy Johnson Douglas Way L/O missing x 4 hrs. Care Giver Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did telephone consult and placed on sb while LO PD Did their search. Subject found alive 4 blocks away.
08-13-2002 2002-2351-281(A). Missing Persons. RP: Carol Missing 27 yo wma Court Demas from NJ. Father George Demas Mother Bea. DLS July 15. Huay Huash Mtn Range Lima Peru Chiquiam City Trek PLS: Huraz. Dear Mr. Oakes, I am coordinating the search for Mr. Court Demas and his traveling partner. At this time, we have a team on site led by Joel Hardin. They are working with local resources, including a local canine team. One of their tasks is to determine what, if any, additional canine resources are necessary. If additional resources are required, I will work with the family to arrange for them. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did email Consult. Worked on logistics.
10-13-2002 2002-2409-338(A). Clack. Co. Injured Mtn Biker. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Denise w/ her two G.S. Dogs. Results: Came across mtn biker w/ injured right leg. Laceration. Results: Bandaged leg.Totals: FAH
10-18-2002 2002-2404-333(D). SHAWN DAMIAN HORNBECK Team:H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Flew to Missouri and worked SARM. Did initial interview, gathered scent items. Did night SARM Track. Cleared areas. Located DOA Site. Did cisd w/ Family.
12-09-2002 2002-2572-400(A). NY City. Camera Planet TV Show Amy Rubins Pet Detective stories Producer Bruce K. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Sent her info. by email and telephone.
12-18-2002 2002-2575-403(D). SARM SP Dom. Republic. Sean Clinton Stover. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Sent them telephone message and email consult. Worked on logistics. Flew to Dom. Republic. Met w/ Stovers in Philiy and we flew to Dom. Repub. Then looked at Hospital and city morgue for their son, sean. Then drove 6 hours West towards SAR Area. Airlines lost my luggage. Did search. Val located Sean's death site. He had been killed by a crocodile. Bay of Eagles. American Embassy notified.
01-06-03 2003-2591-002(B). Clack. Co. Missing Child. RP: Bonnie Kellar SE Olsen Rd. Mil. DLS: Dec. 20 Hiedi Joyce White Team:H. Oake SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. J. Russell K-9-3 ST. Results: Went to Bonnie's home, interviewed her. Obtained a scent item, photographs, missing persons profile, and a signed contract. Eventually tracked down Hiedi.
01-14-03 2003-2610-022(A). Missing Woman Modesto, Ca. San Diego, Ca. Lacie Rocha Peterson. Age: 27 DLS: 12-24-02 0930 in laLoma Area in Modesto, Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Offered services. Police Dept wasted $150,000 in tax payers $$$ money when Val could have done the work in 1 day for far less $.
02-05-03 2003-2641-052(A). Mult. Co. Carol interview ref: Dog Nose News ref: NASA Recovery efforts and cadaver dogs. Carol Frischmann Team: H. Oakes Results; Did telephone and email interview.
03-12-03 2658-069(B). Clack. Co. Hood River (Missing shoe shoer). RP: Marnie Frauen Ref: Fred Frauen NE 27th Ave. Portland, Ore. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. M. Keating SAR Dog Yogi K-9-2. J. Russell SAR Dog Mocha K-9-3. Did initial phone interview. Gave her our web site. Janna made first contact upon my request. We discussed what we could and couldn't do and when and also CISD/CISM and use of dogs. Prob. factors.
04-29-03 2003-2792-102(A). Disaster aid. Urgent Humanitarian Call my name is Dr. Fatima Al-Abdali a member of a Voluntary Committee for POWs n Kuwait. : This is an Urgent Humanitarian call for your good self and other specialized Rescue Teams for Missing. Our sons and daughters are in Prisons in Iraq and trapped underground at different levels. Sadam Regime had built on these traps some sewage systems, concrete walls, and basements are filled with water and closed with mysterious doors. We need trained dogs, pumps for water suction, sonar equipment for detection, and drills to break the concrete walls and locked doors to reach them. We had sent many civilian and military teams to Iraq but not specialized, they only have information and maps about those suspected prisons. Please this is a very urgent call. We will arrange for all your requirements. We need your urgent support and response. Thank You Dr. Fatima Al-Abdali POWs Families Committee 25/4/2003 Kuwait Dear Sir, We are a group of Families of POWs and Missing Kuwaitis (about 600 persons), who are held in Iraqi Prisons since 1990 after the Invasion of Kuwait. As you know Iraq has been liberated from Sadam Regime since the 20th, of March 2003. Until this moment we dont have any information about our sons and daughters in Iraq. We appreciate if you can send us the mechanism and the procedure of having your help and service to search and rescue our POWS. We can arrange through some NGOs, the Government and the Parliament here in Kuwait. Dr. Fatima Al-Abdali We would be glad to help. We need to agree on many things before we leave. 1). What are the names of the local area veternarians that can help our search dogs should they get hurt during a search? 2). How bad are the land minds in the areas we will be searching? 3). Is the Kuait hospital up and running again? 4). We have confined space cameras, underwater cameras, search dogs, and listening devices for missing persons. (trapped under rubble).
Do you have climbing ropes? Harnesses? What kind of digging and shoring equipment do you have available? Hand tools, ? What can the IRAQ government pay per dog team per day for us to respond? We usually charge $200. per hour plus $25.00 per hour travel time each way. It's 40 hours travel time each way, we're guessing about one months worth of work (AT LEAST). Where would we be staying? What's the contact # to the retired General (US) that is assisting kuait in rebuilding? Is the airport open for us to fly into? Who would pick us up? HOw would we be transported from the airport to the staging area? Thanks harry oakes SAR Coordinator I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Results: Sent copy to Pdx FBI.
07-25-03 2003-2863-172(D). Nappa Co. Drowning Lake Berryessa, Ca. 5800 Knoxville Rd Napa, Ca. 94558 Victim: Jose Louis Ramos July 12, 03 Nappa News Exmeraldo victims twin sister. Results: 0915Hrs. Started driving south on I-5. At 1500Hrs. My veh. Broke down (veh engine light on. Veh. Overheated). I called Vanc. And Roseburg. Toyota. They towed me to Roseburg, exchanged veh. With a rental unit. I changed over gear. Drove down to Lake Berryessa. Arrived Lake Berryessa 0300Hrs. Slept until 0630. Started recon of lake and shoreline. Lots of rattlesnakes. 0900 Client finally arrived with her husband and her brothers cousins, father, friends. Went to PLS with Ezmeralda and her husband, val and I 1000 feet off shore line of island 60MN 125f of water. Val’s first alert. 1500’ out at 60D MN val went nutso. Informed Sheriff and other side scanning sonar person involved. Val’s 3rd alert at 500’off shoreline 60MN. Diagramed area. Debriefed NCSO, Ezmeralda,
08-16-03 2003-2888-198(A). Missing Climber. Fred Freaun case. Clack. Co. Mt Hood. I went to PU Brandon for SARM and he never answered the door nor the telephone. He later called me and stated "he was in the shower". I climbed to Ill. Rock area. Val and I rode the chair lift up and back and did search in crevasse while K-9-3 JR and Mocha and K-9-7 C and Ogen did canyon sar. Found where body is stuck in crevasse at 9500 foot level. Teams: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. J.R. SAR dog Mocha K-9-3. CM SAR Dog Oden K-9-7. Rescue service. Our web site is www.k9sardog.com Body is still there. S.O. Ignored our findings.
08-30-03 2003-2899-209(B). Coos Co. Death Investigation reopened. Chris Lapping. See 11-19-2000 2000-1753-215(D). RP Jim Lapping Terri Mother Teams :H. Oakes SAR dog Valorie K-9-1. C, Umphrey’s SAR Dog K-9-7. Results: Drove to sight, hiked in, determined it was a suicide. Family advised
09-17-03 2003-2924-234(A). TV Show consult. Amy Stark Researcher It's A Miracle PAX Television Team:H. Oakes Results: Returned several calls and emails ref: The Angela Bush case.
12-08-03 2003-2998-308(A). Clark. Co. Injured Horse Rider. Kozy Manor Stables. Rider inj. Heidi Dietz See report on file. Team: H. Oakes. Results: Did initial verbal and visual survey, called 911, had her friend Jennifer perform c spine protection, called jeff her husband, filed report.
12-23-03 2003-3012-322(B). King Co. Missing persons case Everett, Wa. RP: Donna Yantis Canby, Ore. 97013 Sister Anderson, (Maiden - Yantis) Shari Christine DOB 10-07-50 Reported missing Everett Mall Dec. 02-2000. By husband John Anderson Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results; Drove up to make contact w/ Suspect, found veh. Val gave death alerts. See reports. Reports turned over to detective.
02-04-04 2004-3057-026(C). Lost person. Mexico. RP: Jim Vos Vanc. BC. San Jose Del Calbo Cabo San Lucas. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Worked early am search in Arroyo area, then night search in desert and ocean. Did water search. Val alerted in specific area.
02-24-04 2004-3069-044(A). Japanese TV 212-865-8410 Wants to do team filming in March. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Did telephone and email consult.
03-31-04 2004-3101-074 (A). Missng Person Wisconsin. Audrey Ruth Seiler WFA DOB 01-25-84 5’08 120lbs brn/blue UW Madison Student. Sat. March 27, 04 0230Hrs. Regent apartments 1402 Regent St. Wearing Burgundy Abercrombie fitch hooded sweatshirt w/ large white #’s, navy blue sweatpants, white flip flops or white t shoes. Team: H. Oakes SAR Dog Valorie K-9-1. Results: Sent pd offer to assist and suggestions. Results: Pending. Bottom of Form

Missing Ore. City girls: Was the FBI too slow?Transcript from Dateline NBC 08:44 PM PST on Friday, January 27, 2006 By Keith Morrison, NBC News Correspondent
VIDEO:
Excerpts: Dateline NBC examines Ward Weaver caseOREGON CITY -- It was evening, dark and cold, in this suburb of Portland, when the call came in to a 911 dispatcher. A mother was reporting a missing daughter. During her 911 call, the immediate assumption was that 12 year old must be a runaway. So began the long strange tale of what happened to Ashley Pond. It began not with a bang, but a whimper, as it dawned on a young mother what terrors could lie ahead.
Lori Pond’s daughter, Ashley, had simply vanished— gone, or so it seemed on her way to school in the town of Oregon City in January 2002.
Linda O’Neal, relative: It was very upsetting. A 12-year-old child had disappeared, you know? This is a child! Linda O’Neal is a member of Ashley’s extended family; Linda’s husband was once married to Ashley’s grandmother. Not exactly a close relationship... but Linda certainly knew about Ashley.
Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent: How would you describe her as a little girl? Linda O’Neal: Well, she was kind of known as having an attitude…
But Linda was not just family; she was also a licensed private investigator. And, in those first days, her experience told her Ashley was probably okay.
O’Neal: My first thought would have been that she probably ran away.
Police in Oregon City apparently agreed. But then a whole week went by, no sign of Ashley anywhere. Runaways inevitably contact someone, but she didn’t. And now local officials, thinking "abduction," called in the FBI.
Jim Redden, crime reporter for Portland Tribune: One of the problems with the case is that there was a wealth of suspects.
Jim Redden is a veteran crime reporter for the Portland Tribune. Ashley, he soon learned, had disappeared from an apartment complex that was a "mulligan stew" of troubled souls.
Redden: It had a lot of welfare cases. It had a number of mentally ill people that would be placed there by the county. There were a lot of single mothers who attracted a lot of really bad boyfriends.
In fact police searching for suspects found no fewer than 90 sex offenders living within a mile of the complex. One possible suspect was Ashley’s own biological father. He’d been convicted of sexually abusing her during one of her visits.
Had he taken her? And if not him, who?
As weeks passed, a terrible realization began to set in around town. Ashley’s little group of best friends knew it, and everybody seemed to sense it— something awful had happened to Ashley.
A friend of Ashley’s, Miranda Gaddis, was interviewed by a TV reporter, not knowing that fate had its eye on her too.
Miranda Gaddis (in TV interview prior to her death): It’s really hard to believe that happened to one of your friends or something. It’s just really different and really sad.
In the weeks that followed, the task force would chase hundreds of leads.They would, according to newspaper reports, watch Ashley’s mother, and her mom’s boyfriend. Investigators even began tailing a couple of male neighbors from the apartments. No one, it seemed, knew anything. It was as if Ashley Pond had disappeared into thin air.
And then, two months after Ashley disappeared, the girl interviewed by a reporter, Ashley Pond’s friend Miranda unbelievably, turned up missing too. Two girls vanished from the same apartment complex. They went to the same school, and were even on the same dance team! Both vanished, within 8 weeks of one another.
O’Neal: When the second girl disappeared, it caused panic, absolute panic. They were afraid that there was a serial killer among them.

AP photo
Ward Weaver is escorted into a courtroom by deputies following his arrest.
MEETING WARD WEAVER
In this suburb of Portland, everyone could feel the chill. The disappearance of 13-year-old Miranda Gaddis was a sickening reminder of the way 12-year-old Ashley Pond vanished 2 months before. Now, the FBI ramped up its investigation, and called in scores of agents.
Soon more than 60 of them were working on the case. A true task force was assigned to find the answers about Ashley and Miranda.
Private investigator Linda O’Neal began to turn down other work to work on this case full time. It was a little crazy, maybe, given the size of the official investigation, but Linda felt a real family connection with Ashley. This was personal.
Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent: What made you think that you could help solve this crime? Linda O’Neal: Well, the FBI would say "We have no suspects, we have no crime scene, and we have no clues," so it appeared that they needed a little help.
But where to start? Suspects were no problem, narrowing it down was.
Some on the list: A former neighbor on the wrong end of a restraining order taken out by an ex-girlfriend, Miranda’s father once convicted of abusing two minor girls. And that was just for starters. So Linda decided to start with a name she’d heard from Ashley’s aunt.
O’Neal: I asked, "Who are the people in Ashley’s life?" And she told me about Ward Weaver.
Ward Weaver as a neighbor, and a family friend, whose home was right next to the apartment complex in which Ashley and her mother lived. In fact, Weaver had been interviewed on television too…
Ward Weaver (during TV interview prior to his arrest): That little girl took off, I wholeheartedly believe that.
Weaver did have a criminal record for assault, but it had been 16 years before. Now, he seemed like a hard-working single father raising a daughter Ashley’s age. And police had already checked out his alibi and sent several teams of officers and dogs to search his house and property. They found nothing. And after all, there were so many suspects.
Morrison: Why would Ward Weaver stand out in that group? O’Neal: Because Ashley had complained that he had sexually molested her.
And yet, as Linda learned, those allegations had apparently been investigated. And no charges had been filed.
But she decided to run a computer check on Weaver and she was stunned!
O’Neal: I get this information Ward Weaver is on death row! Morrison: Death row? But you’ve got ward weaver in your town!? O’Neal: This fellow on death row for serial murder was Ward Weaver’s father!
Strange, but true: Weaver’s father had been on California's death row for two decades. But surely just having a father who was a killer wasn’t reason enough to suspect the son?
Was it?
Then, just about the time Linda was contemplating that question, a second private investigator offered to help: Harry Oakes. Oakes was a bit of a maverick who runs a for profit search and rescue center. And this is his partner was a 12-year-old pound rescued mutt named Valerie.
Many police departments don’t like him, says Oakes, and don’t use him. But in this case he waived his fee, did some background work, showed the dog some of Ashley’s clothing, and went to work.
Harry Oakes, private search dog handler: The track led from the apartment complex up the road, the staircase, to Ward’s property.
That name again. Harry, with his Valerie now excited and on the chase, knocked at Weaver’s door and asked for permission to search the house.
Harry Oakes: He said, "I don’t have any problem with you searching, they’ve already brought in 7 different search dog teams. I have nothing to hide." During the search of the house she gave me a death alert of Ashley’s scent in Ward’s hallway.
Morrison: Did Valerie alert anywhere else? Oakes: Yes. When we went outside to the back area, there was a slab that had been poured.
Morrison: A concrete slab?
Oakes: A concrete slab. And where the slab met with the grass, the dirt where they came together, my dog was smelling Ashley’s scent coming out of there.
Morrison: Did you call 911?
Oakes: I made a report and turned it into Oregon City police department.
A record of Harry’s report shows it was indeed turned in to police on March 20th, less than two weeks after Miranda disappeared.
Morrison: Was there any reaction from the police?
Oakes: They basically ignored us.
Morrison: What about the FBI?
Oakes: Ignored us.
But not long after, Harry’s report found its way to the desk of private eye Linda O’Neal.
Morrison: What did his report say to you as an investigator?
O’Neal: It said "red flag." His dog had alerted a death alert over a freshly poured concrete slab in our Ward Weaver’s backyard.
And something about that slab resonated with Linda: Remember, when she was digging into the background of Ward Weaver’s father, the serial killer on death row? She found out what he had done with one of his victims.
O’Neal: He buried her in the middle of his backyard. And then covered it with concrete.
Morrison: A concrete slab?
O’Neal: Yes.
And Linda’s suspicions were about to grow. Over the next few weeks, teachers, dance coaches, and even Weaver’s ex-wives would tell her stories of disturbing and inappropriate behavior. There was the teacher who saw Weaver drop off Ashley at school, and here was a man in his late 30s locked in a passionate kiss with 12-year-old Ashley. There was the family friend who said Ashley spent weeks at a time at Weaver’s house, often sleeping in his bed, with him. There was the girlfriend who said that Weaver was angry with Miranda because she had been telling girls in the neighborhood to "Stay away from Weaver’s house, he might molest you." By June, Ashley now gone six months, and Miranda, three months. The story had hit the cover of People Magazine. But it seemed to reporters that the FBI wasn’t anywhere close to closing the case.
Jim Redden, reporter for Portland Tribune: It was very much [like], "We have a range of suspects, maybe six to eight different men. The entire impression I got was that they had not in fact, focused on any particular individual."
The reporter didn’t know it, but he was about to play a key role in the case.
And Linda O’Neal says she was about to get the scare of her life, returning home one day to see her son working on his car with a stranger.
O’Neal: I came face to face with Ward Weaver.
Morrison: And he’s with your son?
O’Neal: He’s with my son.
Morrison: What did he say to you?
O’Neal: He said, "Kids are so naive aren’t they?" And I said, "Mr. Weaver, I don’t think that my family is any of your business." And he said, "Ms. O’Neal, that’s what I came here to tell you."
O’Neal: I dug out my gun and loaded it, and put it in my purse.
Morrison: Did you really think he might be capable of coming after you or your family?
O’Neal: I had thought he was capable of anything.
CALLING THE FBI TO NO AVAIL

AP photo
FBI agents stand by as search dogs are brought onto the property of Ward Weaver in Oregon City as investigators searched the one-acre lot Saturday, Aug. 24, 2002.
By June 2002, Ashley Pond had been missing for six months and Miranda Gaddis, for three.
All of Oregon City seemed to be clinging to faint hope: their dance team, their mothers, the whole community.
Lori Pond: We can’t wrap our arms around them. Whoever did this took that away from us and hopefully they’re going to give our babies back so we can do that again.
FBI canines were dispatched once again to sniff around the apartment complex where the girls lived. Even Weaver’s house, but apparently found nothing. An FBI spokesman continued to insist the agency had "no suspects," and "virtually no clues."
But this private eye disagreed.
Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent: You must’ve been going nuts! Linda O’Neal, private eye: I couldn’t think of anything else.
Remember, Linda O’Neal, was part of Ashley’s extended family, and had been working the case for months. And she believed the FBI should by now have focused on Ward Weaver, a 39-year-old single father who lived in a house near the apartments.
O’Neal: I was getting very upset and nervous about what was going to happen next. Who was going to be next?
Linda thought it was time to take what she knew to the FBI.
Morrison: Did the FBI understand that you were a recognized private investigator who was calling them?
O’Neal: Yes.
Morrison: What did he say to you?
O’Neal: He said, "We really don’t need help from private investigators, you know. We’re the FBI and we really don’t think that Ward Weaver is a suspect." Morrison: How did you feel when you got off the phone?
O’Neal: Devastated!
Still whatever happened on that call got Linda so mad, so angry, and so hurt, that she got in touch with Portland Tribute reporter Jim Redden.
Jim Redden, Portland Tribute reporter: She thought that she had legitimate information that they should be interested in, and they weren’t responding the way she thought they should. She said, "Have you ever heard of Ward Weaver"? And at that point, I had not heard of Ward Weaver.
The private eye and the reporter came up with a plan: A surprise interview of Weaver. So the reporter got up early one Sunday morning and drove to Weaver’s house, knocked on the door and wonder of wonders, Ward Weaver invited him in for an interview that would lift law enforcement’s "shroud of secrecy" on the case, and put one suspect in the spotlight for the very first time.
Morrison: Did he seem to you at all like a potentially sociopathic killer?
Redden: He really seemed like a very normal kind of guy. The more he talked, the more nervous he got and that’s when he said, "I’m the FBI’s prime suspect." Morrison: What was your feeling as you sat there next to the man?
Redden: Well, he was coming across to me as sort of honest and candid…
The reporter’s gut feeling put Linda back on her heels.
O’Neal: Jim Redden said to me, "You know, he seems like an okay guy." Morrison: Maybe you were the crazy one!
O’Neal: It sort of was looking that way!
But the reporter wrote the article, putting Ward Weaver’s name in print for the first time. Weaver was now the center of attention, and he seemed to be enjoying it. He even appeared on national television, saying "She’s better off hiding out wherever she’s found a place to live."
And just days later, what did the local police and the FBI and local police do? They launched a huge raid, executing a search warrant, towing away vehicles that might contain suspicious materials, and informing the target of all this attention that he’d failed a polygraph test.
The surprise? Well, the surprise was in the man’s name: It was not Ward Weaver.
It was another prime suspect, a neighbor of the girls, who denied any role in the murders, said he’d been interviewed five or six times. He was questioned about a camping trip he took the day Miranda disappeared. And his friends had been warned to stay away from him.
What no one knew is that the big break was about to occur. And it would come, not from the FBI task force, or local police. But from a woman, a teenager at the time, who’s never before spoken about what happened to her— or how she somehow found the strength to survive.

AP photo
Flowers and a sign hang on a fence surrounding the house of Ward Weaver on Aug. 25, 2002 in Oregon City.
A LEAD FROM A VICTIM
By August, seven months had passed since Ashley Pond disappeared; more than 4 months since Miranda Gaddis vanished. Still, Oregon City police and the FBI appeared to the public to be no closer to an arrest, even though neighbor Ward Weaver had told whoever would listen that he was the prime suspect.
And though Ashley’s step-grandmother Linda O’Neal firmly believed there was enough probable cause to search his property for the two bodies, police did not appear to her to be interested. No search warrant was asked for or issued.
By early August, Linda learned Weaver had apparently had enough media attention.
Linda O’Neal, step-grandmother and private eye: He told people he was going to Mexico or Idaho. He had emptied his entire house of all of his possessions..
But with his house empty, and apparently ready to move out of Oregon, Ward Weaver made a move that still mystifies everyone involved.
Randi Oneida, girlfriend of Ward Weaver’s son: He was a nice person to be around. He fooled people I guess.
Oneida is the girlfriend of Ward Weaver’s son, the mother of Ward’s grandchild. Never before has she revealed publicly what happened that day in August 2002 when at the age of 19, she got in a car with Weaver, a man she assumed she could trust.
Oneida: All the way to his house, he wasn’t acting different or anything.
Keith Morrison, Dateline correspondent: And then you walked in the house, and.
Oneida: That’s when he snapped. That’s when I noticed a different face.
He threw her to the floor, tore off her clothing, and raped her. She couldn’t talk about the worst of it, she said. Her body seemed to stiffen at the memory.
Morrison: Do you remember the look in his eye?
Oneida: He was possessed. It wasn’t him. It looked like satan inside of him, but the second he stood up off of me, his face went back to normal.
Morrison: And then you ran?
Oneida: Yeah, I pushed him with my feet, pushed him back, and I ran.
On the way out, she grabbed a tarp covering the concrete slab in Ward’s backyard. And then she ran naked and trembling after a savage sexual assault— into the street, where she flagged down a passing car. And within hours, Ward Weaver was arrested, booked, and behind bars, charged with rape.
Portland Tribune reporter Jim Redden: That was the moment that I really thought, "This is the guy."
Linda O’Neal says she’d known it for months. She had known in her gut that Weaver was a violent man, who’d killed Ashley and Miranda. And they had him in custody now, for a violent rape, so she felt sure the FBI would move quickly to charge him in the disappearance of Ashley and Miranda.
Morrison: Once he was in custody was a search warrant issued for his property? O’Neal: There was a search conducted that had everything to do with the rape, with the crime that occurred that day, but then they took down the yellow crime tape and they left.
And without crime scene tape or a steady police presence, Weaver’s house became a kind of open house. After weeks of people seeing Weaver’s name in the papers, or seeing him on the news, sitting near that freshly poured concrete slab, and hearing of his arrest for rape, many of the locals had come to the same conclusion as Linda: What was the FBI waiting for?
In mid-August, in the days after Ward was arrested for raping his son’s girlfriend, protestors gathered at the property. They left their accusing signs lying around the unexamined back yard...
Morrison: How long was it between the time Ward Weaver was arrested, and the time somebody got a search warrant to look into his property?
O’Neal: Well, he was arrested August 13, and it was August 23 when they got the search warrant.
Then, with crowds gathering again as if they knew what was to come, the FBI showed up in force, erecting two white tents, bringing in dozens of agents and tons of equipment.
Hours later, there was the first discovery: a box, in a shed behind the house, with remains. The Oregon state medical examiner positively identified the remains of the discovered body of Miranda Gaddis.
The following day, there was another vigil and another discovery. Investigators finally dug up that concrete slab. It was the very spot at which that search dog had issued a "death alert" five months before.
And there beneath it, they found another body — Ashley Pond’s.
O’Neal: It was very sad news because I think you always hope, until there’s a body, you always have hope. And even though I always believed the bodies were there, the reality of it was difficult. These two beautiful young girls were gone forever.
During all those days, weeks, months, of anxiety and hope… the long investigation, the scores of officers, the bodies of the two little girls were right here all along in Ward Weaver’s backyard.
And Weaver himself? At first, claimed he had not a thing to do with it. But in the end, Ward Weaver, without explaining how or why, simply pleaded guilty and was sentenced to remain in prison for the rest of his life.
At his sentencing, the judge said: "I think everyone probably shares in the hope that there is a special place in hell for people like you."
How could Ward Weaver have gotten away with it for so long? And how could the FBI have seemed so, well, off? Especially when others seemed to have figured it all so neatly? There was sadness, yes, for the loss of those two girls— but also now, anger.
Redden: Our headline was "Why did it take so long?" And that was the question that we were trying to get answered. We still don’t know.
Although there’s no evidence that a faster investigation might have saved Ashley or Miranda—the question remained, what about Randi? The young woman whose presence of mind and physical strength in the face of rape— and maybe something worse— saved her own life?
Morrison: You know better than anybody else on earth what Ashley and Miranda went through.
Randi Oneida, Ward Weaver's victim: Uh-huh.
Morrison: If you hadn’t had the abilities you had, what would’ve happened to you?
Oneida: I would be exactly where Ashley and Miranda are.
Morrison: Are you angry?
Randi: Yeah, I’m very angry.
Morrison: What does that anger feel like?
Oneida: It’s anger, frustration that this happened to me. It could have been stopped, I really believe that it could have been stopped.
Morrison: Who could have prevented it?
Oneida: I think the FBI, the Oregon city police.
O’Neal: If they were watching Ward Weaver, how did he move all of his possessions out of his house, give notice, and rape, and almost kill one more girl?
How indeed? We wondered how the police and FBI would respond to allegations that they had taken too long or bungled their investigation. What could they say to this young woman?
FBI: 'A SUCCESSFUL INVESTIGATION

AP photo
The FBI's Special Agent in Charge, Charles Mathews, left, and Oregon City Police Chief, Gordon Huiras, as they announce the discovery of the bodies of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis.
After all the waiting, the investigating, the discovery of the bodies of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis, and the arrest and conviction of their killer, Ward Weaver— that’s when the questions really began. It was a question splashed in a banner headline: Why exactly had it taken so long?
And now, for the first time, police and the FBI agreed to answer their Portland critics. Were they in some away ashamed of their investigation?
Well, as a matter of fact, absolutely not.
Robert Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: This was a very, very successful investigation. Robert Jordan is special agent in charge of the FBI’s office in Portland. He came to Oregon city after murders were solved. The FBI, with the Oregon city police department, were the two agencies that made up the task force on this case, and they bristle at suggestions that they didn’t move as quickly as they should have.
Gordon Huiras, chief of Oregon City police department: The investigators involved were driven to solve that case. They put their heart and soul in that case. They would have arrested someone just as soon as they had probable cause to make an arrest in that case.
Keith Morrison, Dateline Correspondent: There are those who believe though that probable cause existed long before the rape of Randi Oneida.
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: People who were not associated with the investigation. People, like Linda O’Neal. She’s now co-written a book detailing her investigation, called ‘Missing: the Oregon City Girls." Remember, it was Linda who said she called the FBI in June 2002, two months before Weaver’s arrest to outline what she said was solid circumstantial evidence that Weaver was the killer, and that the girls’ bodies were buried on his property. Information, it turns out, that was true. Linda says the FBI agent she spoke to wasn’t interested in her opinion. And reporter Jim Redden confirms Linda told him the same story.
But the head of Portland’s office now says no record of such a call exists.
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: The first and only documented contact our investigators had with the author was in March 27 and she said she had a tip she wanted to pass on. The tip was a psychic tip and that is the only documented contact this investigation had with the author.
No documents. But, we wondered, could an agent have spoken to Linda, heard her allegations about Ward Weaver, without keeping a full record of the call?
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: Absolutely. We had over 4,000 tips that came into us. But we had many people who wanted to tell us Ward Weaver did it, but all those people were interviewed, and none of those interviews provided us with a witness or something we could put in an affidavit for probable cause to arrest Mr. Weaver, or search his property.
The FBI says Weaver was always among the top three suspects, especially after flunking a polygraph.
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: Our polygrapher followed him out to his car, literally haranguing him, trying to get him to confess. He wouldn’t. This is the United States of America. We don’t have any physical ways to make somebody confess.
And so, the investigation continued, say police, until Weaver was arrested for raping Randi Oneida. And Weaver’s own sons came forward with incriminating information that allowed prosecutors and the task force to agree that finally, 10 days after the arrest, that they now had "probable cause" to search his property.
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: We were working an investigation, to try to a) find the girls, and if we couldn’t find them safe and alive, b) find out who did it. We did that. That’s a successful investigation.
Morrison: Is that what you’d say to Randi Oneida?
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: No, I don’t think I’d say that to Randi Oneida.
Morrison: What would you say to her?
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: She was at risk, no question about it. She was at risk from Ward Weaver.
As for Linda and her book, the task force has come out swinging. The FBI says the book is not credible, and points to an author’s note that tells of "reconstructed conversations," "composites of characters" and the fact that some "names have been changed."
Jordan, FBI special agent in charge: The book is fictionalized, in some manner. So what’s fiction, what’s real, it’s hard to say.
Linda O’Neal, private investigator, author: Well, I was offended.
Linda says she made it quite clear that while some names and narrative details were altered.. her story is a true telling of events from her own perspective.
Morrison: Do they have some point? That it’s easy for you to say, "We could have moved quicker, but you weren’t part of the investigation, so how would you know what went on?"
O’Neal: I wasn’t part of their investigation. I was on my own, conducting my own investigation. And all I know is what I did and what I found out.
Should Ward Weaver have been stopped sooner than he was? The question, for Randi Oneida, is altogether too personal.
Morrison: What has he done to you?
Randi Oneida, Ward Weaver's victim: He’s ruined me. I really believe that they could have stopped him before he had gone as far as he did.
And around Oregon City, Oregon, the strange disconnect lingers: Bitterness among some who believe it took too long to solve the murder of two little girls; and among police, satisfaction for a job well done.
Editor's note: NBC News contacted Ashley Pond’s mother for comment. She said that she will be forever grateful to the FBI and all the police agencies who worked on the case, and that any criticism of their efforts is unfair.
Unsolved2@aol.com View Contact Details Add Mobile Alert Date:
Sat, 28 Jan 2006 10:47:18 EST
Subject:
Re: For those who missed DATELINE TV SHOW LAST NIGHT.
To:
searchdog@iinet.com
Hi Harry! Yes, Cynthia was here from Seattle, and we watched the show! Great job with you and Valorie doing superb work, once again! The FBI and OC Police looked like Keystone Kops running in every direction but the right one!
You were lookin' good! Thanks for letting us know it was on.
Love u, Susan & the gang".
This 77 page of facts has been provided to show you both sides of the issues. Now you can make an informed decision on Harry’s credibility. Based on FACTS NOT RUMORS.
Our mission in life continues to help others in their time of need, "So others may live".
Respectfully
Mr. Oakes
Office of Emergency Management
International K-9 Search and Rescue Services.
I.K.9.S.A.R.S. Harry’s Yahoo 360 blog re SAR.
Photos of Harry’s search dog teams in action.
Before your child comes up missing, identify them. If a child is missing, send us the information. We search for missing children and adults.
Write us at searchdog@iinet.com and we’ll send your our free child id kit.
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